


The Evolution of Existence

by Obsidian_Tear



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alcohol, Decapitation, Drug Use, Explicit Sexual Content, Gay Trans Cad Bane, Graphic Description of Corpses, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Masturbation, Mentions of Slavery, Misogyny, Multi, Polyamory, Slow Burn, Threats of Rape/Non-Con, Threats of Violence, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-12
Updated: 2019-07-11
Packaged: 2019-08-22 09:51:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 30,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16595594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Obsidian_Tear/pseuds/Obsidian_Tear
Summary: We know what we are, but know not what we may be - William ShakespeareorThe Sugi origin story that no one asked for





	1. Dissociation

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Back again with a new story! Sorry, guysssss. I know I'm bad at multitasking.
> 
> I've been working on this story for a while now. It's got my highest word count ever, and it isn't even done. I suspect that this will go more smoothly than my other stories just because of how much I've gotten done. We'll see.
> 
> Strap in for the Sugi origin story no one asked for or needs.

“Tell me a story, mama.”

Most memories of Sugi’s mother were hazy, blocked out of her mind by time or trauma, but this memory was crystal clear. Sugi was maybe five, still living in the tiny hut that they had called their home; the scent of a spicy, earthy tea caressed her nose and the sound of bone windchimes whispered in the background. She was sitting on her mother’s lap, letting her comb through her unruly mess of plum hair.

“What story do you want to hear, nixia?” Her mother hummed; her voice was sweet and light, unlike Sugi’s deeper timbre.

“Tell me about the warrior and the Princess, mama.” Her mother had told her this story over and over again, and never once complained. She didn’t even offer a sigh. She would just smile and nod, taking any opportunity to bond with her young daughter.

“Alright.” She turned Sugi around to face her, her brown eyes shimmering with love; most of the details of her mother’s face had faded from memory, but she couldn’t forget the love she always held in her gaze. No matter what trouble Sugi would get in, she never doubted that her mother adored her. “A long, long time ago…”

“How long ago, mama?” This was part of the game they would play; her mother would take a minute to think, before supplying a ridiculous answer. It would make Sugi laugh every time.

“I think about ten million years.”

“That’s a long time.” Sugi marveled, to which her mother nodded.

“It is, nixia. A long, long time ago – about ten million years ago – there lived a princess. She was wise and kind, but very, very lonely. She had no friends.”

“What does the princess look like?” This was another part of the game; the description of the princess was ever changing, to the point that Sugi wondered if her mother even remembered the real story.

“Oh, she was short, with pretty brown eyes and long purple hair. She had a scar on her chin from the time when she fell down the stairs, and a wide, toothy smile.”

“Mama! That’s me!” Sugi giggled as her mother wrapped her arms around her, holding her close to her second heart.

“The princess looked a lot like you.” Her mother chuckled as she took a minute to sip at her tea. “She needed a friend, but princesses weren’t allowed to have friends. Until one day, a young man from a far away land came; he was a warrior, proud and strong.”

“What does the warrior look like?”

“I don’t know. I think he was big and tall and probably had a very nice smile.” She hummed; Sugi didn’t realize until later that this was a legitimate myth on Iridonia. All the accounts of the princess were the same, but the Warrior was always different; sometimes, he was a Zabrak from a far village – other times, he was an unspecified alien. “The princess and the warrior bumped into each other one day, in the halls of the castle. They knew immediately that they would be good friends, if they could keep their meetings a secret.”

A knock on the front door startled the two, and Sugi slid off of her mother’s lap so her mother could answer it; they often had company over, though Sugi didn’t realize why until she was an adult. She made her way toward her hiding cupboard – her mother made her hide in there to keep her from prying, lecherous eyes- and waited.

“Hello, Verai.” The voice belonged to a man – it was deep and raspy, and made the hair on the back of Sugi’s neck stand on end. She had heard it before this meeting. He never brought good news.

“What do you want?”

“Where’s the little one? She’s of age now.”

“She isn’t ready. I need to work with her more.” There was a panicked hint to her mother’s voice that haunted Sugi; though she didn’t know it at the time, this encounter was the beginning of a stretch of long, miserable years.

“She hasn’t had her first, has she?” She tried not to read into what this meant, but she knew of how things were on Iridonia, and she knew that it was nothing good. 

“No! She’s only five! What kind of sick monster are you?” Her mother snapped.

“It’s what your master wants. I wouldn’t argue with him.” The man growled in return, and Sugi fought the urge to whimper. “You know what happens to those that disobey…”

“Get out of my house.” The front door slammed shut, and hurried footsteps approached the cupboard; the cupboard door was wrenched open, revealing her mother’s worried face. “Oh, nixia… what are we going to do?”

-

“Hey! Watch where you’re going!”

Sugi was drawn back to the present, disoriented by the commotion of her surroundings; it was dark, yet colorful lights flashed around. The room smelled of booze and vomit and sweat, and music reverberated through her skull, leaving behind a dull ache and an annoying earworm. It took a few moments to center herself and realize that she was currently at the club she worked at. With a tray in hand. And beers that had spilled and were now dripping down her arm and the front of a man’s black t-shirt.

She winced as the man shoved her backwards, though her mind wasn't truly on that; she felt like a complete idiot for getting distracted. Again. She knew she better than this, but as she approached the anniversary for her mother’s death, she would start to dissociate. And it could get pretty bad - to the point where she could come to a month later and have no idea what was going on.

She didn’t even realize that the man was yelling at her until one of her coworkers shoved a towel at her.

“You dumb slut!” The stout, older human man roared as she dropped the towel onto the mess on the floor; she didn’t respond because it wasn’t her place to. The last time she had sassed a customer, she nearly lost her job – on the bright side, though, she did kill the dude after her shift. “You’re lucky you’re hot – I wouldn’t want to break that pretty face of yours.”

“Lucky indeed.” She muttered under her breath as she mopped up the mess; she sent the man a glare, memorizing his boring, unattractive features so she could find him later and break his fucking neck like a twig. Oh, she would enjoy that…

“You’re on stage in ten.” Her coworker reminded her, wrenching her from her thoughts once again. She nodded and made her way toward the backroom, ignoring the shouts-turned-catcalls of the antagonistic man. She pushed the door open and slipped inside, exhaling shakily; tears pricked in the corners of her eyes as she stalked toward the rack of freshly-cleaned and incredibly flashy costumes.

“You look like shit.”                                             

She turned toward the only other occupant of the room, a Lethan Twi’lek woman, who was sitting in front of one of the various vanities. Sugi pulled a costume off the rack without looking, before prowling toward the seat beside the other stripper. “Thanks.”

“That wasn’t a jab, sweetheart. Are you alright?”

“Nope.”

“Is someone bothering you? I can have the bouncers take care of him.”

“It’s not that. Honestly, I don’t really want to talk about it.” Sugi huffed as she undressed from her beer-soaked dress to pull on the gaudy silver body suit; she plopped down in the seat and grasped her foundation bottle, before faltering. Memories of watching her mother put on make-up flooded her mind and tears welled in her eyes.

“You’re doing it again.”

“Huh?” Sugi shook the thought away, before turning toward the Lethan woman; she hurriedly wiped the tears from her eyes as she started to apply the cream. “My mother’s death date is coming up.”

“Oh. Wow. I’m sorry to hear that.” The Lethan hummed, rightfully awkward; her lekku twisted, betraying her discomfort.

“Found her dead in a ditch when I was five years old. She was protecting me from slavers who wanted to… use me.” She continued as she contoured and primed, painting her eyelids silver and her lips as red as the blood of the men she killed. “Men are trash. I hate them all.”

“Same.”

“Especially human men. They can rot.” Sugi spat as she tousled her hair and made her way toward the monstrous shoes she was required to wear; when she was younger, she pledged to kill every human she met. But it wasn’t a realistic goal now that she found herself on Coruscant – instead, she went after the worst of the worst. It satiated some of her need for revenge… but it wasn’t enough. And she knew it never would be.

“Preach.” The Lethan hummed as she made her way toward the stage entrance; Sugi followed close behind, biting the inside of her cheek. She fought the urge to turn and run away as the music changed.

-

“Someone’s asking after you.”

Sugi had barely left the stage when she was confronted by another coworker, a nice Rutian Twi’lek named Rein. She was antsy, which she got when they got a visit from her ex-boyfriend; the dickbag was the head of a small-time gang that thought they controlled the area. Sugi had, foolishly, threatened to chop his dick off if he continued to harass the girl. As expected, he didn’t take it so well.

“Where is he?”

“Waiting for you at the back entrance. He’s got Ameyon and two other guys with him.” She grew quiet as Sugi grabbed her purse and slung it over her shoulder. “Please be safe. Don’t get yourself killed because of me.”

“Oh, don’t worry about me.”

She strutted toward the exit, kicking the door open in her usually dramatic fashion; she strutted out, her gaze meeting with that of the leader of the gang. He was resting against the wall of the establishment, a small smirk twitching on his lips. The rest of his men lay in wait nearby, watching her with lust in their eyes.

“Breman.” She growled as he grabbed her arm and pushed her up against the side of the building; he braced an arm across her chest, pushing with enough force to keep her still.

“Hey, pretty. Miss me?”

“Like I miss an STD.” She snapped, drawing a laugh from his narrow, chapped lips; some of the girls had mentioned how hot he was, but she couldn't see it. His eyes were dull and downturned, his nose far too straight, his cheeks rounded with baby fat. He looked like every human man ever - just as repulsive as the fattest Hutt. 

“That’s no way to talk.” He smiled widely, akin to that of the slug that used to deal with her master. She fought the urge to knock that grin right off his stupid face.

“What do you want?”

“You were very disrespectful to me, Aveth. I don’t like it when people are disrespectful.” He purred as he brushed his fingertips against the curve of her cheek. “Especially in front of my men. I’m going to need an apology.”

“Oh? And what do you have in mind?” She spat, recoiling as he drew close to her neck; this earned a laugh from his men.

“I want you to use that pretty little mouth of yours in a more… constructive way.”

“You really want to show your men your two-inch dick?” Her lip curled into a sneer at this, which she nearly broke when one of Breman's men laughed. Breman turned toward him, pure murder flashing in his blue eyes.

“You’re dead to me, Vulture.” He then turned back toward Sugi, flashing a spine-chilling grin. “As for you, little Miss Big-Mouth… I am going to rape you. Then my men will. Then, when your holes are completely destroyed and unusable, I will gut you alive. I will wear your teeth on a necklace and fashion your horns into a weapon - a weapon I will use to kill Rein.”

She bristled at this; his voice betrayed sincerty and his intent to follow through, and this made her stomach churn. He leaned close, his rotten breath caressing her face.

“Are you sure you don’t want to take any of that back? You could save yourself with an apology…”

There was no way she was going to let him use her like that. But at the same time, she couldn’t take all four of them in a fight. She steeled her resolve; she knew what she had to do to survive this.

“How about no.” She slammed her stiletto heel down on his foot, and used the distraction to slip from his hold. Then, she ran.

 


	2. Knight in Kyuzan Armor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Damn, Obsi. Back at it again with another chapter!
> 
> That's right, folks. Strap in for another wondrous creation of mine.
> 
> Disclaimer: There is violence and alcohol use in this chapperino.

There were rarely times when Sugi would call herself terrified; she had been a child slave, abused and neglected, for most of her childhood – that was terror. But working the sex trade? It was a breeze in comparison; sure, some of her customers got handsy, or territorial… and some didn’t know the word ‘no’… but she could handle that. No sweat. If it got too bad, she would just kill them.

But as she ran from the best of the Afterdarks gang, who were looking to wear her entrails as necklaces, she began to question her definition of terror. From what she knew, terror was the most intense fear a person could have… usually, she could handle five men no problem. But something about them… something made that terror course through her veins; unlike most, these boys were not playing around. She had wronged them, and now they were looking for payback…  
  
Her bare feet connected hard with the duracrete as she ran for her life; she had ditched her ridiculous six-inch heels a while back, knowing she couldn’t get far in them. Besides, even if she was good at running in her heels, she would prefer to cut up her soles on strewn about garbage over twisting and breaking an ankle.  
  
She felt a hand brush against her back and she let out a scream; she tried to pick up her pace, but she was already at her fastest sprint. She rounded a corner and closed her eyes – this was it… she was going to die.  
  
She ran face first into a warm yet hard mass and her eyes popped open in an instance; she wheeled around the person, hoping they were bigger and more dangerous than those chasing her, and hid behind them. The man behind her also ran face first into this person -who, Sugi noted with a small smile, was huge- and wheeled away, his eyes wide and his mouth drawn open in surprise.  
  
The man was slowly joined by his friends, who stared up at the newcomer with a mix of expressions; Breman rolled his eyes annoyedly, while the rest patted their blasters reassuringly.  
  
“Give us the whore.” Breman demanded, gesturing nonchalantly to her; her savior turned to look at her, their golden eyes locking with her bronze for a moment. The person was a Kyuzo – a rarity of Coruscant- and a Warrior if the armor said anything; she had only seen a few come through her club, and the ones she had personally met were decent people.  
  
“Why?” His voice was deep and just as accented as hers; he gently ushered Sugi back, though he did not move to attack the gang. “What did she do?”  
  
“Look at her, man, and tell me you don’t want some of that.” He lied, likely trying to gain the trust of the Warrior. A personal vendetta would likely put-off uninvolved parties, but it was easy for one man to connect with another over their desires to dominate and control an attractive woman. She prayed it wouldn't work.  
  
The Warrior turned toward her again, his gaze dipping down her form slowly, taking in every inch of her. Sugi stumbled back, unease settling in her gut; she wasn’t sure which party was the most dangerous at this point. The Warrior could just as easily overpower her as Breman and his boys if he wanted to; in fact, she should be more afraid of the elite killer than a group of sloppy saps with haphazard shots. But... something in the Warrior's gaze betrayed that he wouldn't harm her. She just hoped her intuition was right for once.  
  
“No. Leave the woman alone.” Bingo. Sugi one, Breman zero. At least, so far.  
  
“Ha! She’s hardly a woman if she parades herself around like that.” He scratched his beard as he eyed her, mentally undressing her with a disgusting smirk. “She’s a rotten little jailbait slut; she deserves what we’re going to do to her.”  
  
Sugi knew, logically, that she should still be running; but her legs were too tired and she needed to save the energy in case a more dangerous predator decided she was easy prey. She could never outrun a Kyuzo... but she would try, by god. She would try.  
  
“I will give you one chance to leave. You have ten seconds.”  
  
Ten.  
  
“Leave?” Nine. “Not-.”  
  
Eight.

“A-.”  
  
Seven.

“-chance.”  
  
Six. 

The Warrior reached for the shield hat atop his head.  
  
Five.  
  
Four.  
  
Breman reached for his blaster. Three. He leveled it at Sugi and peered down the scope.  
  
Two.  
  
Before he could pull the trigger, the Warrior had tossed his shield hat; almost as if in slow-mo, the hat flew toward Breman just as the asshole fired off the shot. The Warrior managed to push her out of the way in time that the shot hit him in the left shoulder, rather than the middle of her head. She couldn't see the hat connect, but she noted that a severed head had landed at the Warrior's feet. She fought the urge to retch as he caught his hat in his right hand. Sugi one, Warrior one, Breman zero.  
  
The Warrior let out a hiss as he ducked into a defensive position, ready to fight off the four other attackers. Luckily, Breman’s men were not nearly as stupid as he and wanted to keep their heads attached to their bodies; they turned and ran away.  
  
Sugi breathed a sigh of relief as she watched them flee, before her guard went up once more; just because the Warrior saved her didn’t mean that he was a good person. She fought against turning to run and waiting to thank him; her tired legs answered her almost immediately, and she waited, tense.  
  
“Shit.” He cursed, as he turned toward her; purplish blood slowly dripped down his arm from the hole in his shoulder. He didn’t show his weakness beyond that.   
  
“Are you okay-?”  
  
“What are you doing out here this late? You must know how dangerous it is.” He interrupted, a bite present in his tone that she attributed to pain; he removed the decorative skirt from around his waist and dabbed it against his shoulder.  
  
“I was walking home from work.” She lied, biting her tongue.  
  
“That was a stupid idea.” He hissed, clenching his jaw until his teeth ground together. “Do not do it again. There may not be anyone here to stop them next time.”   
  
With that, he turned to leave; Sugi bit her lip as she watched his form retreat, weighing the pros and cons of following the man. On the one hand, with him around, no one else would bother her; but on the other hand, he didn’t exactly seem like the warmest person and she really didn’t need anyone yelling at her right now. Sugi sighed as she followed the Warrior, noting that he had turned to look over his shoulder; he let out a low sigh as he shook his head.  
  
“I do not want any of what you are selling, doll.”  
  
“What? No! That’s not what I-.” She gestured toward his shoulder, watching as he looked down at it. “I can take care of that for you. As a thank you.”   
  
“Thanks, but no thanks.”  
  
“Come on. It’s really not that big of a deal! It’ll be quick, and then you can forget about it.”   
  
“Look, doll, I do not need your help. I will get it myself.”  
  
“Call me doll one more time and I will slap the shit out of you.” Sugi growled as the Warrior stopped and turned toward Sugi; he stepped toward her, drawing attention to their height difference in an attempt to scare her or something. Sugi wasn’t having it.  
  
“Why are you still talking to me?”  
  
“Because I’m going to take care of your shoulder whether you like it or not. Follow me.”  
  
Sugi rolled her eyes as she grasped the Warrior’s hand and led him back to her apartment; the Warrior didn’t fight her grip, seeming to have given in to the idea of her repaying her debt to him.   
  
Her apartment was in a building not too far from where they met, in a complex that was usually reserved for the richer scum of the area – like mercenaries and drug dealers and whatnot. She got a good deal on the apartment after sucking the landlord off and promising to do so every once in a while.   
  
They climbed the ten flights of stairs to her level, passing two separate drug deals and twink giving a handjob on the way; the Warrior didn’t seem phased by any of this, which was odd because Sugi was sure there was some code of honor amongst them. She had to continually shimmy her skirt back down, as it had a terrible tendency to ride up and he had the honor of walking behind her; though, maybe he enjoyed the view… she just didn’t want to risk it.  
  
She pushed open the door that led to her level, cringing at how thin the walls were; a couple was arguing very loudly in one apartment, while a woman screamed in ecstasy in another.   
  
“Charming.” Was all the Warrior said; Sugi bristled at this, but didn’t reply as she punched in her lock code.  
  
He was eerily silent as she led him inside, his gaze cold yet oddly curious. His gaze swept around the room – from her tiny kitchenette to her only slightly larger living room – to rest on the only comfortable chair she had; it was a second-hand armchair with stupid floral fabric that smelled strongly of tabac and was stained with some questionable fluids. He cringed as he sat in it.  
  
“Get out of that armor, I’ll grab the supplies.” She hummed as she flitted around the kitchenette for some alcohol and then in her bathroom for the stitching supplies she would need. “Tell me about yourself, niaxa.”  
  
“No.”   
  
“Why are you such a dick?” Sugi growled as she cuffed the back of his head. “Let’s try this again: tell me about yourself.”  
  
“My name is Embo. I hail from Phatrong.”  
  
“I’m Sugi.” She offered him her hand to shake, noting how he looked down at it almost confusedly. “How long have you been a Warrior?”  
  
“A few years. Just left.”  
  
“Why?”   
  
He remained silent.  
  
“You aren’t much of a talker, are you?” Sugi exhaled annoyedly as she poured the booze over the needle she had retrieved; she then handed the alcohol to her guest. “You might want this.”  
  
He said nothing as he took a large swig and braced himself; Sugi straddled the arm of the chair and began stitching, noting how her guest downed nearly half the bottle.  
  
“Fuck.”  
  
“You aren’t used to this by now?”  
  
“No…”   
  
She just shook her head; she had gotten enough wounds in her life that she self-taught herself to stitch. It also helped that one of her stripper colleagues was a medical student trying to pay off her loans – she taught her how to perfect the art, and the two would often mend the wounds of their coworkers.   
  
“How are you doing?” Sugi hummed as she looked up at him; he met her gaze with a small cringe. “Not good?”  
  
He huffed as he leaned back, his head lolling back to rest on the top of the cushion; Sugi paused what she was doing to gently massage his chest, biting her lip as her fingertips caressed his hard pectoral. He lifted his head to look at her, his gaze skeptical. “What are you doing?”  
  
“I thought this might help you relax.” She shrugged, feeling a bit embarrassed; she retracted her hand, only to have him grasp it and put it back.  
  
“You do not have to stop.” Was all he said in return as his eyes slid shut; a small purr rumbled from within him, and Sugi figured she was doing something right. Her hand traveled up to his tense shoulders, and she hummed as she went about working out knots.  
  
“I know I said this already, but thank you. You… saved my life tonight.”  
  
He said nothing in return, though she noticed that his posture relaxed and his eyes were fluttering open; he grasped her hand and purred again, before gently kissing her knuckles.  
  
“You have pretty eyes.” He drawled, his voice slurred and his golden eyes dulled by the alcohol; she smiled slightly as she grabbed the alcohol to pour over his wound. He gritted his teeth and leaned back. “And pretty hands.”  
  
Her hands were still marked by the henna she had applied for one of her shows a few weeks back; the designs were flowery and intricate, but ultimately meant nothing.  
  
“You’re drunk.” Was all she said as she tied the stitches off; she set the needle and booze aside, before rising to grab a few bacta patches from under her bathroom sink. She returned to find the entire bottle of booze empty and she sighed softly. “Alright. I just need to put on a few bandages and then you’re ready to go.”  
  
“How old are you?”  
  
“Pardon?” Sugi frowned as she plastered the bacta pads to his chest; her hands paused there for a moment, just feeling the steady rise and fall of his chest. She could feel his heartbeat against her right hand, which beat much differently than the ba-bum of her own hearts.  
  
“The assbag said you were… I do not remember. Jailbait? Is it true?” He held her hands there for a moment, gazing deeply into her eyes.  
  
“It doesn’t matter.” She frowned as she made her way back into the kitchen; the chrono on the stove read 2:00, and she was left with the horrifying revelation that it was really fucking late. She pulled open the fridge, frowning at the contents. “Why? You planning on bending me over”  
  
“I would not say that.”   
  
Sugi jumped, frightened by how silent he was and how quickly he could move, even when he was as drunk as he was; she pushed her fear aside as she grabbed a water bottle from her fridge. She turned, noting that he was mere inches away and that his hand, though hanging limply at his side, was dangerously close to her ass.  
  
“I think it’s time for you to get out.” She gestured toward the door, and the Warrior nodded.  
  
“Alright. Goodbye.” And he left, just like that; Sugi was relieved that she didn’t have to fight him off… because she knew for a certainty that she would not win that fight. She locked her front door, and made her way to bed.  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EMBOOOOOO. EMBOOOOO EEMMMMBBOOOOOOOO


	3. Oh Look Who's Here Again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooooo back again. Yeah. Yup. Enjoy this work of art, my friendos.

She didn’t expect to see him again, figuring this was a random, one-time thing; but months later, after a long night at the club, she found him at her door. He was in rough shape, barely conscious and bleeding from multiple wounds; from the blood splatters on the carpet, he had likely dragged himself from the lift. Sugi was simultaneously impressed and annoyed to see him there, and fought the urge to loudly sigh as she stooped to help him up.   


Luckily, she was able to get him inside her apartment and to her chair before he passed out; she praised whatever gods were out there, as she knew that he was too heavy for her to drag. She stripped him down to his underwear and assessed his wounds; he had a large gash on his chest - it was long and startling, but luckily not too deep - and a hole in his leg. Luckily both wounds missed vital organs and arteries… but there was still a lot of blood. She wondered if he would need a transfusion…

She shook the thought from her head as she went about her work, humming one of the annoyingly catchy songs from work.  
  
“You know, I would appreciate if you didn’t show up on my doorstep and drip blood onto the carpets.” She said to him, knowing he couldn’t hear her; she sighed softly as he twitched, likely in pain. “Maybe take me out to lunch before you come to me all hurt. Just once, I would like for someone to treat me well before needing something from me. But let’s be honest: no whore is really worth kindness…”

It took forty stitches to close the wound on his chest, and two bacta patches to cover it up; his leg was much easier, though, taking about half the time it took to close his chest wound.  
  
“You seem like the type that would enjoy a casual lunch. Maybe even a brunch. Would that be too fancy for you? I don’t know… you Kyuzo all seem fancy to me.” She disinfected the wound with some rubbing alcohol and sighed as she sat on the ground and watched him. Now… she needed to wait for him to regain consciousness. “By the way, thank you. I’ve always been in a mental fog around this time of the year because of my mother’s death… but you showing up has distracted me. It was…a welcome change. I might need to keep you around forever.”  
  
She chuckled as she curled up into a ball and rested her head on her knees; exhaustion gripped her, and she felt her eyes growing heavier. Against her better judgment, she fell asleep like that.  
  
She was awoken several hours later by a gasp and a growl of pain; her eyes popped open and focused on her guest -Embo, if she remembered correctly. He was gripping the arms of her chair tightly, and she slowly stood up.  
  
“Painkillers?”  
  
“Yeah… give me a second.” She rushed into her room to grab a bottle of Vicodin and returned with that and a bottle of water. She tossed the drug to him, noting how he furiously opened it and popped two pills; he swallowed dry, before leaning back in his chair.  
  
Sugi slowly approached, nervous.  
  
“What happened this time?”  
  
“I would say none of your business, but you are helping me. Killed ‘nother wannabe rapist.” He smirked, as he looked at the bottle. “Where did you get this?”

"Does it matter?”  
  
He shook his head as he closed his eyes and breathed deeply, waiting for the drugs to kick in. “You like pills?”  
  
“What?”  
  
“Just… trying to make small talk. I am not good at it.” He hummed as he tapped the arm of the chair with his index finger. “Where are my clothes?”  
  
“I was going to wash and mend them for you…”  
  
“Do not worry about it. I owe you enough as it is.” He peeked an eye open and stared over at her, a mischievous twinkle in his glowing golden eyes. “So when is a good time?”  
  
“Huh?”   
  
“For brunch.” She could tell that he was smiling from behind his mask by the way that the corners of his eyes crinkled up.   
  
“Shit, you heard all of that?”  
  
“Not all of it. But a lot of it. And though I do not like to get close to people, it seems as though you could use a distraction.” He shrugged as the pills finally started to kick in. “Perhaps we can go out and then come back and get high. Holy fuck these pills are great.”  
  
“Why do you think I have them?” She chuckled as she stood; his gaze followed her form, and she tried to fight the urge to roll her eyes. “Come on… I don’t think you should be going anywhere anytime soon. You can sleep in my guest bed – it’s only a futon but it’s better than nothing.”

"Okay.” He nodded very slowly as he stood; she wrapped his arm around her shoulder and sighed softly. “You smell so niceeee.”  
  
“Thank you.”  
  
“Your skin is so soooooft.”  
  
“Thank you.” She repeated as she led him to her neglected guest room; it was rather empty, containing only a bed and some of her props for stripping. She set him down on the bed, noting the dreamy look on his face.  
  
“Thank yoooouuuu.” With that, he fell back on the bed with a small giggle. Sugi said nothing as she shut the door and made her way to her own room.  
  
It was much messier, with clothes strewn about and wrappers congregating near the trashcan; she didn’t have the kind of energy to clean, as most of it was sucked out of her by her job. And she technically was depressed. A lot. Even though she currently wasn’t mentally checked out, she still felt like general shit and missed her mother.  
  
She curled up in her bed – which smelled… unpleasant, but then again, who had time to wash sheets? – and tried to sleep. But she couldn’t, for reasons unknown.  
  
“Fuck.” She sighed as she decided to be productive instead; something about having a guest pressed at the back of her mind, and she realized that her home in this condition didn’t speak highly of herself. So, she gathered all the clothes in her room, stripped her bed of all the blankets and sheets, and dragged it all the way to the communal laundromat on the first floor of her apartment complex. She used up all the washers to wash her shit, before going back upstairs to clean up the wrappers, scrub her bathroom, and clean her living room. By the time that Embo awoke, she had just switched the laundry into the dryers and had moved into the kitchen, scrubbing the floors on her hands and knees.  
  
“You look like shit. Did you get any sleep last night?” His voice startled her, and she fought the urge to throw her sponge at him.  
  
“No. Who cares though. I cleaned my apartment.” He took a moment to look around, and she swore surprise flashed across his face.  
  
“Why?”   
  
“Does it matter? Why don’t you go take a shower? I’ll go grab your clothes for you.” Sugi set aside the brush to stand and wipe the sweat from her forehead.   
  
“No. You are sweaty and disgusting – you can shower first.” He was firm, and Sugi sighed as she made her way toward her bathroom.   
  
“Fine.” She snapped, her exhaustion weighing heavily on her mind; she locked the door behind her and started the shower, letting the room fill with steam. She climbed in, reveling in the hot waterfall pouring down on her sore shoulders. As much as she hated to admit it, she was happy that he was so adamant about her taking a shower first. It felt so good…  
  
She didn’t stay in long, though, knowing she would quickly run out of hot water if she wasn’t careful; she made her way to her room, towel-less, and air-dried for a good, long time. During that time, played with her body, watching the way her flesh squished in the mirror on her door.   
  
“Sugi? I have got your shit.” Embo called from the other side of her door. Sugi let out a small squeak of surprise; why was this man so fucking quiet?  
  
“Oh, come in.” She moved off to the side to allow him to enter the room; he eyed her nude form almost suspiciously as he dumped the clothes basket onto her bed. She immediately dug through it, looking for something to wear, aware that his gaze rested on her form. “The shower is free… just be aware that I don’t have any towels.”  
  
“What? Why?”  
  
“One of my recent customers stole them for some… fucking reason. I haven’t gotten around to replacing them.”  
  
“Oh. Alright…” With that, he left; Sugi grabbed a black bra, a matching pair of panties, a pair of short shorts, and a flowy black croptop. It was one of the more appropriate outfits that she owned, which she hoped would be enough to keep from offending her Warrior guest.  
  
She made her way out into her living room, her gaze catching on the porno disks she had stacked neatly under her holovision. She could really go for a quick wank, but company made that difficult. On the one hand, she didn’t want to scare him away. But on the other, he might be into it and she hadn’t been fucked in thirty-six hours. Thirty-six hours and thirty-two minutes, to be precise. She bit her lip and shook the thoughts from her head; she could wait.   
  
She sat down in her chair, gripping the arms of the chair tightly. God, it was killing her. The dark, awful voices tugged at the back of her mind, reminding her of what had happened to her as a little girl. Reminding her that her life was in chaos and she needed some semblance of control. __She needed control. She needed control.  
  
Her inner struggled was interrupted by the presence of her guest; he blinked down at her, before cocking his head to the side.  
  
“What is wrong?”  
  
“Huh? What? Who said anything was wrong?”   
  
“You are crying.” He noted, and Sugi gently wiped the tears from her eyes.  
  
“Would you look at that….” She honestly didn’t even notice that she had been crying until then. Her gaze caught on the chrono, which revealed that she had been struggling with herself for longer than she thought.  
  
“Do you… want to talk about it?”  
  
“I haven’t had sex in thirty-seven hours and two minutes.” She blurted out, noting the startled look in his eyes. “Coping mechanism. When my life feels like it’s spiraling, it’s one of the only things I can truly control.”  
  
He said nothing, and guilt crept up within her; it’s not like she really wanted to spill her sex life to this stranger, but he was very easy to talk to and something about him made her really want to trust him. She looked away, disgust roiling in her gut.  
  
“Sorry, too much too soon?”   
  
Embo was silent for a very long time; Sugi could practically see the wheels churning in his head as he looked down at her. He sighed, shook his head, and gestured toward the door. “Want to go to brunch?”  
  
Yikes - she made him uncomfortable enough that he needed to change the subject. She blushed furiously and buried her head in her hands. “Yeah… I guess I would like that.”


	4. Diner Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Take this! Still self-indulgent. Be warned.
> 
> Here's a thought: if you like the story, leave a comment or kudos and I may update more quickly! Kisses!

Embo brought her up a few levels to a nice little diner – well nice enough while still being a shithole that would serve people like them. The diner’s décor was outdated, colored with red and white stripes and booths that were far too small for even a party of two. The music was old – probably by thirty or forty standard years – and twangy, which didn’t exactly fit the atmosphere of the diner.  
  
They sat across from each other, squished in the smallest booth in existence; his left leg hung off the edge of the seat, while his other leg was forced to rest between hers. He tried not to complain about the lack of space, but she could tell that he was uncomfortable by the way he kept shifting. 

“I could ask them for a bigger booth.”

“It is not that big of a deal.” He hummed as he stretched his arms out to rest against the top of the booth… until a woman yelled at him for accidentally tugging at her hair. He sighed.

“It kind of is. I mean, unless you’re okay with playing footsie.” She smirked as he thought for a moment before trying to move his leg. He shook his head when he couldn’t.

Sugi flagged down the waitress to ask if they could move and was met with a laugh and a sweeping hand to all the other similarly sized booths. Instead of leaving, they tried to make the best of it.  
  
“So why did you become a whore?” Embo inquired as he leaned forward, his elbows resting against the table; the table tipped a bit under the pressure, but he didn’t seem to notice.  
  
“Well… do you want the long story or the short one?” Though he seemed alarmed with her own personal sex practices - as he should have been - he was at least comfortable enough with the topic to ask about her work. Which was good because she didn’t have much of a life outside of her work. Now that she thought about it, it was kind of sad that she had no interests beyond that.  
  
“We have time.” Embo hummed through that odd breathing mask he wore; she didn’t want to seem nosy by asking why he wore it, but at the same time she was so goddamn curious.  
  
“Oh. Well… I was born on Iridonia in a village ruled by a cruel warlord; he… well… he was known for enslaving children and doing all sorts of awful things to them. I happened to be one of them. He got me at age six and I lived with him for nine years; I was never taught to read or write, so…” Sugi shrugged as she chewed on the skin around her nail. 

“That was not very long. What was the short story?” 

“It’s a lucrative business and there will always be a market for it.” 

“Ah.” He watched for their waitress, though she couldn’t tell if it was because she had made him uncomfortable -again- or if he was actually wanting to order. “You do not seem happy with it, though.”

“How can you tell?”

“I am good at watching people. Your lips quirk and your brows furrow when you speak of it.” 

“What?” Sugi’s eyes widened, as she watched the corners of his eyes crinkle in what she could only assume was a smile. She let out a small laugh. “You’re so full of shit.”

“Okay, okay, you are right. It was just a hunch, truthfully.” 

“Well, you are right. I’m glad it’s gotten me to where I am now but… I want to do something else. The only issue is, I don’t know if anyone would be willing to hire someone as illiterate as me.”  
  
“You could do what I do.” He shrugged.  
  
“And what is it that you do, exactly.”  
  
“I do a little bit of everything.” He shrugged as he leaned back and watched the waiters pass; Sugi let her gaze wander, memorizing the curves of his muscles. He was a fine specimen of man; though most were attracted to those who looked mostly human, she was an oddball in that the opposite was true. She liked her partners to be more nonhuman than her, and was repulsed at the very thought of human-like features. “I am a mercenary.”  
  
“Really?” She cocked a brow at this. “How did you manage that?”  
  
He didn’t reply to this, his gaze drawn toward a rowdy customer near the register; the customer spat at the cashier, before leaving, which made Embo’s gaze wander back toward her.  
  
“It is not that hard.”   
  
“For you, maybe. But no one would ever take me seriously.” She sighed as the waitress appeared with their meals; she began to eat, noting that Embo’s gaze wandered yet again. It was almost as if he wanted trouble to appear. “What are you looking at?”  
  
“Get down.” He ordered as he slowly stood; the door swung open, and in stormed a small gang of thugs. One fired off a shotgun into the air, causing a panic amongst the other customers; they ducked under tables or fled outside, which was the smart thing to do. Only Sugi was trapped inside the restaurant with a Warrior with some kind of death wish… great.  
  
“Get on the ground, asshole!”  
  
Embo slowly began to kneel, though the look in his eyes said that he wasn’t going to go down without a fight. In a flash, he had pulled the hat from his head, and threw it at the leader; blood squirted in the air as the head fell to the floor. In a panic, his lackeys began to fire.  
  
Sugi had never seen him fight before, but she had to admit that he was amazing; he was graceful, dodging bolts and climbing atop structures that shouldn’t have been able to hold his weight. He jumped up onto the bar and retracted his bowcaster as he ran at the thugs with inhuman speed; he flipped off the end, firing off a bolt which got a guy right in the head. He shot another at nearly point-blank range, reveling in the spray of blood and brain matter. He lifted another right off the ground and broke his neck, before tossing him aside to face that last thug – a young Twi’lek boy who looked scared out of his mind.  
  
“I surrender! I hated those guys, anyways!” He tossed his blaster aside and raised his hands above his head. “Please, let me live!”  
  
Embo stared at the boy for a moment, before grunting and gesturing toward the door; Embo watched as the kid ran, before turning back to tend to Sugi.   
He knelt down to look her in the eyes, almost surprised to find that she wasn’t nearly as frightened as he was expecting.   
  
“Are you okay?” His tone was gentle, in a way she hadn’t heard before; his warm hands gently rubbed her shoulders, as if he was trying to soothe her.  
  
“Yeah I’m okay.” She smiled reassuringly, trying to ignore the dread she felt knot her gut; this wasn’t over. Her eyes darted to the door as a Trandoshan with a large blaster entered, and she felt her hearts stop. Embo’s back was to the guy, and there was no way he could turn around in time. So Sugi did what she had to do. “DUCK!”   
  
She grabbed the blaster at his side, and fired blindly at the Trandoshan; the bolt hit the middle of his forehead, felling him for good. Her hearts beat rapidly as adrenaline coursed through her, screaming at her to run though they were no longer in danger.

Embo whipped around to spy the fallen Trandoshan, before turning back toward her; their gazes met, his golden eyes betraying his utter confusion.

“What the hell was that?”

“He was going to shoot you. I couldn’t let that happen!” She squeaked, her vocal chords strangled by her fear. 

“How did you do that?”

“Dumb luck?” Sugi hoped he would buy it; she didn’t need a mercenary knowing about her homicidal tendencies. 

He narrowed his eyes at this suggestion, before getting up to check on the body; in fear of an interrogation, Sugi rose, and left him alone in the broken remains of the diner.

 

-

  
  
He appeared at her apartment a mere ten minutes after she did, inquiring sternly about where she learned to shoot like that. She locked the doors and turned off the lights, and sat very still for a long time, hoping he would eventually cease his harassment. He could never learn the truth about her. He couldn’t know who she really was.

Another month passed before she saw him again… at the very club she worked at; she didn’t even notice him at first, as the place was so dark… but his shield hat was hard to miss. She felt annoyance bubble within her as she dropped off drinks at the table across from him.  
  
She fought against going to talk to him, worried that he would press her about that day; but at the same time, she couldn’t just pretend that she hadn’t seen him. They had made eye contact and everything; she knew that he knew who she was, and she feared he wouldn’t take kindly to her ignoring him.

She made her way over to him, bowing her head in greeting.  
  
“Hello there.” He smirked as he leaned forward, eyeing her provocative outfit up and down; she wanted to roll her eyes, but didn’t. She was at work - she was supposed to be ogled like this.  
  
“What are you doing here?” She huffed as she crossed her arms over her chest; he blinked, almost as if confused, before looking down at his drink. “Are you stalking me?”  
  
“What? No. I just came for a drink. I had no idea that you would be here.” As if to emphasize his point, he swallowed his drink before pushing the glass aside. Almost immediately, a girl came by to refill his glass.  
  
“This is a strip-club, douchebag. You don’t come here just to drink.” She set her tray down, before drawing closer; his eyes went wide as he pressed back into his seat as if to try to avoid her. “You were hoping I would be here.”

“What makes you think-?”

“Did you come for press me about that day, or did you come hoping to see me naked?” She purred lowly, drinking up his discomfort like it sustained her. “Or, perhaps, you came for a lapdance, maybe even a quick fuck?”

“I never said-.”

“You don’t have to. I can read it in your eyes.” She hummed as she played with the latches of his armor, already so acquainted on what it took to remove it. His hand twitched, as if he was fighting against slapping her hand away.

“That is bullshit and we both know it.” He huffed as he grasped her hand and moved it away. “You are right, though - I did not just come here for a drink. But, I swear that I had no idea that you worked here.”

“If you didn’t come for me, who did you come for?” Sugi moved away, frowning; at first she was annoyed with the idea of him stalking her, but the thought of him paying attention to someone else made her… jealous. She didn’t like this feeling at all.

“No one in particular. I like watching strippers - sue me.” He shrugged as he grabbed his refilled glass and took a swig of his drink. “Why do you sound.... Envious? Were you hoping I was here for you?”

“What? No!” Sugi was glad for the low lighting, because she was most definitely blushing at this moment. “Of course not.”

“Good.” Was all he said to this as he took another drink. “Because I was not.”

“You already said that.”

“I know. Just making sure that you know.”   
  
Sugi sighed, before shaking her head; she fought against speaking, but her need for attention won out over her common sense. “You swear that you weren’t stalking me?”  
  
“On my mother. Whom I love very much.” She cursed him for sounding so convincing, and cursed herself for being naïve and lonely.  
  
“Okay… well… I have a performance in five. Wanna go to my place afterwards and get high?”  
  
He looked at the chrono on his gauntlet, before shrugging almost nonchalantly; she hated that she felt almost disappointed at this answer.  
  
“Yeah, I think I can do that.”  
  
“Cool.” And she left him, trying not to be aggravated by his lackadaisical response.  
  
She made her way backstage, sliding up beside her favorite coworker - a Twi’lek girl named Rein; she was the medical student that taught her to stitch properly, and taught the girls how to prevent getting STDs and the best places to stab a would-be rapist. Sugi was fond of her because she was so different from any other girl Sugi had met – she was sexy and smart and could use both to her advantage. If Sugi wasn’t so awestruck, she might have been attracted to her.  
  
“Who was that guy? You looked pretty annoyed with him…” Rein hummed as she put her contacts in; her make-up was already done, flawlessly, though she was still in her waitressing outfit. Sugi rolled her eyes as she pulled the body suit off and searched through her rack of costumes for something that fit the night’s theme of ‘jungle goddess’. She found a skirt that was admittedly little more than an over-glorified loincloth, and a golden chain bra.  
  
“Some… merc. He protected me from Breman and his thugs one night and has been coming to me because I’m good at stitching wounds.” She rolled her eyes as she practiced taking the bra off, before looking for shoes that matched.  
  
“He looks dangerous to me.”  
  
“Well, yeah. He killed Breman.” Sugi huffed as she found some and bent over to strap the monsters onto her feet; Rein shot up.  
  
“Wait, really? He did that? I’m going to have to thank him…”  
  
“Yeah. He’d probably enjoy that. I think he gets off on being a hero.”   
  
“I think men like that are dreamy.” The Rutian sighed as she strutted toward the door leading to the stage; she stepped aside as a few girls passed through. “Are you into him?”

“Why would you ask that?” Sugi frowned as she tightened the straps of the shoes.

“You practically mounted him, sweetie. And he was totally into it.”

“Sure.” Sugi tried to hide just how excited that made her; she didn’t want to seem like he had this power over her.

“Drinks on me afterwards?” Rein changed the subject, likely reading Sugi’s feigned discomfort.  
  
“I’d love to, but I already told him that I would let him come back to my place and get high with me.”  
  
“Shit. Sounds like a good time.” Rein winked over to her.  
  
“You can come along if you want.” Sugi shrugged as she stood, testing the fit of the shoes to make sure that she wouldn’t twist her ankle.  
  
“I think I’ll take you up on that.”   



	5. Gotta Stay High (All The Time)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hello. 
> 
> Hello.
> 
> Yes, 'tis I. 'Tis the one who hyperfixates on bounty hunters. Weeeeee. Enjoy this lovely little garbage nugget. Please R&R if it tickles your pickle.
> 
> Trigger warning: Drug use. Hence the chapter name. 
> 
> Find me at kyuzan-queen on tumblr if you want to talk bounty hunters or if you want to see what I do there.

The walk back to Sugi’s apartment was quiet, considering; for Embo, this was not surprising in the least. He was one of the most introspective people Sugi had ever met, and it was always hard to tell where his mind went; sometimes, she wondered if she was giving him too much credit by assuming he was thinking rather than just zoning out.

Rein was stuck to Sugi’s side, her lithe arm wrapped around Sugi’s; while Rein and Sugi were friends, they had never really hung out outside of work. Rein’s intelligence intimidated her, and she inadvertently made Sugi feel like the biggest idiot on all of Coruscant. Though she hated that her own insecurities prevented her from making true friends, Sugi was too tangled in other struggles to even begin to confront them. Besides, who wants to be friends with an illiterate, sex-crazed whore?

Sugi sighed softly, which drew Embo’s gaze to her; he looked her over for a moment, as if judging whether or not he dared ask what’s wrong, before returning his attention to the sidewalk ahead of them. She did so as well, jumping out of her skin when she felt an arm snake around her shoulder mere moments later.

“Sorry.” Embo whispered, immediately retracting his arm. Sugi narrowed her eyes, trying to judge what his intentions were. Was this a possessive thing? A protective thing? Was he just trying to be friendly, trying to initiate a similar amicable touch like that of Rein’s? His face was unreadable, adding to the mystery.

“It’s fine.” Sugi replied, intently watching his reaction; in doing so, she tripped on a crack in the sidewalk and faceplanted into the duracrete. Or, she would have, if Embo hadn’t caught her; he righted her silently and continued on as if nothing had happened.

“What’s up with this guy?” Rein inquired lowly; she had broken her hold on Sugi in an act of self-preservation, and instead shoved her hands in her pockets.

“Who knows?” Sugi answered as he turned to look at them, browridge cocked.

“I can hear you.”

“It wasn’t - I wasn’t trying to be rude.” Rein shrugged as she looked up at him. “You’re just… mysterious.”

“It’s hard to tell what’s going through your mind.” Sugi added.

“That is for the best.” He replied, a hint of a joke in his voice; then, it fell silent again. Sugi bit her lip as they approached her apartment.

She stopped walking and wordlessly gestured to the continuing street before finding her tongue. “Go one up. I’ve got to hit up my drug dealer.”

“No need. I have everything we need.” Embo replied quickly as he pressed a hand to the small of her back, directing her back toward her apartment. She turned to look up at him, debating on whether to snap at him to not touch her or to proposition him into a potential threesome. There was something about his touch that both infuriated her and turned her on. 

She decided to respond by touching him herself - letting her hand slip over his back and the tips of her fingers slip under the hem of his shirt. If he thought it was alright to touch her, then it must be alright to touch him. He gasped quietly, before retracting his hand; she followed suit.

“You know… most guys would kill to be in your position.” Rein chuckled as they made their way through the front door and into the lift. “You’re about to be alone with two very hot strippers.”

“It is quite the honor.” He nodded, the corners of his eyes crinkling up just slightly. “Though, do not fear. Nothing will come of it.”

“What? Why?” Rein frowned as she crossed her arms over her flat chest.

“It would not be right.” He simply said as the lift reached Sugi’s floor.

“Wouldn’t be right? What the hell does that mean?” Rein’s frown deepened as Sugi led them to her apartment; if she was honest, she thought this exchange hilarious.

“I would not want to take advantage of you. Besides, if I wanted anything from you, I would have already paid for it.” 

Sugi snickered as she entered her lock code and the door swung open; she nearly missed Rein’s scoff in reply.

“I am not a whore.”  
  
“Oh, I know.” 

Sugi stiffened at this and turned to look at them; she couldn’t be sure… but it looked like Embo had winked at her. She shyly blushed and turned away, instead removing her shoes and tossing her coat aside.

“So what have you got for us?” Rein pressed, following Embo as he made his way into the living room. He sat on the floor by Sugi’s chair, and dug around in his bandoleer to produce a small bottle.

“Black Tar.” He hummed as he screwed the top off and dipped his pinky in. “Get just enough to coat your finger. Any more and you could overdose.”

He licked it off his finger, before handing it to Sugi; Sugi had some experience with this stuff and knew how potent it could be. She dipped her pinky in as well, shivering as the cold, almost gelatinous liquid clung to her skin; she pulled it out and let the excess drip off, her gaze locked with Embo’s. He watched intently as she licked her finger clean, his head cocked to the side. His gaze remained even after she handed the vial to Rein.

A part of her hoped he would draw closer, that he would lean her back until she laid flat on the floor…. That he would wrench her clothes off and do whatever the fuck he wanted to her. But she realized quite quickly that his stare was empty. The drugs had kicked in - and she was close behind.

Her focus faded in an out, and she began to hallucinate. Often, hallucinogens made her trips really awful, but Black Tar was one of the only ones that filled her with warmth rather than fear. It made her see the things she desired most - freedom. Happiness. Love. 

She saw a family - a family of her very own, with a partner and kids and a pet anooba. She saw a ship, that she flew to wherever she wanted. She saw herself laying in bed next to the one she loved, stroking their cheek as they slept. Her heart ached as she let her mind drift away.

Time had certainly passed when she came to, but she wasn’t sure how much of it had. She tried to look at the chrono, but the numbers swirled. She groaned as she stood and made her way into the kitchen.

She heard someone rise from behind her, and surmised by the silence that it was Embo. She didn’t turn toward him, but she could tell that he was close. She stood in front of the sink, trying to gather enough coordination to grab a glass and get some water.

“How was your trip?” He purred, his voice dripping with honey; he boxed her in, close enough that she could feel the heat radiating from his skin, but far enough that their bodies didn’t touch. His hands rested beside hers on the counter, drawing her attention to the sheer size difference. “Sounded like you were having a good time.”

“It was good.” She blushed, comforted by the fact that he couldn’t see her face.

“Good.” His breath caressed her ear, and she subconsciously cocked her head to allow him to kiss her neck or bite her ear or whatever the hell he was planning to do. “Black Tar makes me… peckish. And you are looking delectable…”

“You – you gonna eat me?” She whispered, ignoring the spikes of pleasure that his voice sent to her nethers. 

“Eat? No, kamour. But a taste would not hurt…” He turned her to face him, and gently tipped her head back until her neck was entirely exposed; she sucked in a deep breath and closed her eyes, preparing for whatever it is that he had planned...

“Holy fuck.” Rein’s giggle startled the two, and he wheeled away almost as if shaken from a trance. Sugi exhaled, and pushed past him to approach her friend.

“How are you doing?”

“I’m great!” She beamed as Sugi helped her stand. “What about you?”

“I’m fine.”  She turned to look up at Embo, who was pacing back and forth; his behavior wasn’t particularly odd for someone who had used Black Tar, but it was weird to see him act that way. He was always in control of his emotions. In fact, besides pain, that was the most he had emoted around her. “You want the futon again?”

“Yeah… thanks.” He bowed to the two, and left the room, stumbling on his way out. The moment the door shut, Rein snickered.

“He’s so into you.”

“What? No…”

“He totally is! Have you seen the way he looks at you?”

“In lust, like every man ever?” She rolled her eyes as she gestured for Rein to follow her; she brought her friend to her room and laid down on her bed. Rein laid next to her, and the two stared up at the ceiling for a moment.

“No, it’s definitely fondness. He’s fond of you.”

“Oh.” This surprised Sugi; she was sure that Rein was going to tell her that his gaze held desire… but fondness? That was unexpected. She couldn’t remember the last time someone looked at her fondly… it was kind of sad, really. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah I am. How long have you guys been seeing each other?”

“Technically we’ve known each other for months, but we’ve only ever seen each other… I think this is the third time.” Sugi frowned at this; if he was so fond of her, why didn’t he stop by more often? Though, she could hardly blame him – he was busy and so was she and she did yell at him telling him not to bother her… so…

“Have you guys actually… talked to each other? Like getting to know each other?”

“Not really.”

Rein snorted, almost as if something was funny. “Why do you trust him, then? You don’t even know him…”

“I don’t know.” Sugi felt stupid as she curled up on her side. Why did she trust him? Sure, his gaze wandered sometimes but he didn’t manhandle her like she was a piece of meat so that was nice. But he was a merc and he was dangerous. And being friends with a merc came with baggage she wasn’t sure she was prepared for...

“You know, now that I think about it, I’m sure he has a nice-.”

“Shut it, Rein. Go to bed.” Sugi felt her cheeks grow hot as she closed her eyes; Rein was right, but Sugi tried not to think about it.

She dreamt about it all night long.


	6. 'I Prefer the Term Vigilante'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I am sick as I post this so I blame all grammatical and plot errors on that. Bleh. So take this dialogue-heavy chapter and feast, my children!
> 
> As always, reviews are welcome even if they're little "thanks for writing this chapter, dude". Reviews motivate. Just don't be a dick about it. If you want to be a dick, take it to my tumblr: @kyuzan-queen.
> 
> T'anks, my loves. Ta-ta.

“Did you have a nice dream? You were moaning all night long.” Rein smirked as she elbowed Sugi in the ribs; Sugi bristled at this, her face growing hot and probably a nice, deep red as well. Luckily, it was just the two of them around as Embo was showering… she tried not to think too hard about that.

“Was I really?”

Rein nodded before scooting as close as the kitchen bar stools would allow. “Spill all the details.”

“I dreamt… well I dreamt about him. And his cock… but honestly, it’s not that big of a deal.”

“Girl, you’ve got it bad!!” Rein chuckled as she looked around the corner to make sure Embo was listening in on them. By the sound of his offkey singing, he was still enjoying his time in the shower.

“What? No!”  
  
“You dreamt of banging him!!”

“My dreams are completely involuntary. I’m not into him like that. He’s an asshole!” Sugi crossed her arms over her chest. “And even if I was into him, he’s definitely not into me.”

“Uh huh. Sure.” Rein just shook her head as she propped her head up on her fist. “Want my professional medical diagnosis?”

“No.”

“You’ve got a thing for big, dangerous guys. You’ve got it bad for him but you’re lying to me because you’re worried that he could be like every other man you’ve been with - a complete and utter douchebag.”

“Man, shut up.” If Sugi had something soft and nonthreatening to wack her friend with, she would have. She didn’t like how Rein could so easily read her. 

“It’s worse if you deny your feelings.” 

“Deny your feelings for what?” Embo hummed as he stalked into the room; Sugi turned toward Rein, glaring at her, before burying her head in her hands.

“Don’t worry about it.”

“Alright, alright…” He raised his hands in surrender, before settling across from them of the other side of the bar. “Apologies.” 

“Thanks.” Sugi groaned as she fought the urge to blush. She hated this. She hated Rein for being right.

“Mind if I make breakfast?”

“Go right ahead.”

He pulled open the fridge, stared at it for a second, before shaking his head. “You are lacking even the most basic of ingredients.”

“Yeah, I don’t cook.” Sugi shrugged.

“I guess I will take you out instead.” Embo crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the counter.

“You don’t have to do that.”

“I do. For your kindness.”

Sugi turned toward Rein, narrowing her eyes and jutting her head to the door. Luckily, Rein seemed to have gotten the message. 

“Oh no… I’m going to be late for class.” She said in the most deadpan tone ever as she slipped off the stool. “See you later.”

She turned to kiss Sugi on the cheek, before waving to Embo.

“It was nice to meet you.”

He turned and nodded to her, an odd sort of sincere nod, and watched her leave; the moment she was gone, he refocused his gaze on Sugi. The intensity in his gaze was not unfamiliar, but it still sent shivers up her spine.

“So, you want to bang?” He turned toward her, a browridge cocked; Sugi’s face heated up and her tongue twisted into knots.

“I- I – Uh-.”

“Relax. I jest.” He hummed as he made his way toward the guest room to gather his stuff; Sugi tried to shove the sexual thoughts that were invading her head aside, but all she could think about was how excited she got when he all but trapped her against the bar last night.

“Sure didn’t seem like you were jesting last night.” Sugi quipped from the bar, wondering if he had heard her at all.

“I apologize for that. I hope it didn’t make you uncomfortable.” He rounded the counter, and she swore for a moment that he was about to get closer to her. Instead… he made his way toward the door.

“Nah. We’re good.” Silence settled between the two, though it was awkward and tense. Or, at least, it was tense for her. She drew a pattern on the counter, wondering if it could get any more awkward…

“How many people have you killed?”

This question caught Sugi off-guard, startling her enough that she nearly fell off the barstool. Oh yeah, this was worse.

“One… the guy at the diner.”

“Bullshit. That headshot was damn near professional.” He didn’t even face her as he pulled on his boots. “Let us try this again: how many people have you killed?”

“With a blaster? Fifteen?” She shrugged as she drew shapes on the bar with the tip of her index finger. “With a knife? More…”

“So… you’re a serial killer, then.”

“Well… now that you say it like that…” Sugi rubbed the back of her neck, cringing at the idea; she hadn’t really thought about it a lot. “I prefer the term ‘vigilante’. Sounds less… psychotic.”

“Does it now?” 

“Well, yeah. Makes me seem more like a hero.” Sugi managed a smile, trying not to feel nervous about what she was about to tell him. “I’ve even got a cool codename.”

“The Black Widow of Coruscant.”

“The Black – wait, how did you know?” She frowned as she crossed her arms over her chest; his eyes darted downward before he turned back to his other boot. Unlike most, his gaze was generally more curious than lustful.

“You fit the profile – a young, near-human sex worker who lived in this general area. It just kind of pieced it together after witnessing that takedown…” He stood and extended his hand to her. “I am impressed – your demeanor does not exactly scream ‘killer’.”

“Oh… well, I guess I’m just really good at blending in. My former master said I would have made a really great actress if I had been born to a more fortunate family.” Her voice trailed off bitterly as she looked down at the baggy leggings and shirt she was wearing; he watched her with keen eyes, memorizing her mannerisms like some sort of predatory animal. She tried to ignore it.

“You are lucky - I almost took the bounty for your head.” He chuckled as he jutted his chin toward her room. “But I am not in the business of protecting rapists.”

She sighed as she trekked to her room to change into something a little more seemly; his words rang in her head as she pulled on a pair of pants. How many times had she evaded capture by bounty hunters? Were they still looking for her? And… what would happen if she was caught? Would Embo defend her, or would he step aside at the mention of a cut of the profits?

She pulled on a sweater as she passed through her doorway; she tugged the sweater down to lay flat against her form, feeling his gaze sweep over her. She made a mental note to ask why he was so intrigued by her.

“So, you got dirt on me… now it’s my turn. Are you an addict?” She inquired as she smoothed the corded fabric out.

“Pardon?”

“You just seemed like you knew a lot about Black Tar… and you carry a vial in your sash.” Sugi stalked toward him, fighting the urge to pull him close - to feel his body beneath her fingertips. She shook the thought from her head.

“Yes.” She bent over to pull her shoes on, wiggling her ass a bit to see how he’d take it. He just snickered and shifted his stance so he was leaning against the door. “Do you treat all your guests like this? Or just the ones you like?”

“Honey, most of the guests I have come specifically for this ass.” She stood up straight, noting the shake of his head; they stood there, staring at each other for a while, before she gestured to the door he was leaning against. “Are we going to leave? Or….?”

“Oh. Right.” He pushed off the door to allow her to exit, before following behind her. They walked in silence for a long time, before she was able to loosen her tongue. 

“How long have you been a mercenary?”

“Three years.” 

“Three years? How old are you?” It was hard to tell with him, but she swore he couldn’t be much older than she was. 

“Twenty.” He hummed as he crossed his arms over his chest.

“I’m nineteen.” She hummed.

“You are so young!” He turned toward her, concerned. “Too young to be selling yourself.”

“I’m only a year younger than you, idiot.” She rolled her eyes as she bumped her shoulder against his. “My birthday’s soon, anyways.”

He sighed softly, before bumping her back with his elbow. “Would you be interested in becoming a mercenary?”

Sugi blinked, her mind stalling for a second; did he really ask her that? Out of the blue? She struggled to formulate words in reply, seeming to have lost control of her tongue. Embo waited patiently for her, though she could tell that this struggle was amusing him.

“Why do you ask?” She finally found her tongue after about three minutes.

“I have been looking for a partner for a while now. We have a good enough chemistry.” He shrugged and Sugi fought against a smile as she leaned closer; he thought they had good chemistry? Hm. Interesting.

“I don’t know. I… don’t think I’m smart enough.”

“Why do you say that?”

“I can’t read or write like a functioning adult. And my math is rough…” She blushed embarrassedly; Rein had been kind enough to each her addition and subtraction, so she could maintain her money… but she wasn’t even that good at it.

“I could teach you.”

“Seems like a lot of work.” She shrugged, not meeting his gaze; she didn’t want him seeing just how self-conscious she was about all of it.

“It would be no problem at all. I promise. Just… think on it.”


	7. And They Were Roommates

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, back at it again with a new chapter!
> 
> For those who are curious, I don't write for kudos and comments; though they help beyond measure, I really only write for myself, and for fans like me. As one of the only really vocal fans of these characters, I know how lonely it can be. So I post my stories in hopes that it will give comfort to those lonely few. 
> 
> If you care to drop a Kudos or a comment, I will be forever grateful; but even better, shoot me a message on tumblr @ kyuzan-queen. No need to be shy, I'm awkward too. 
> 
> Thanks to all that read this!

_“Would you be interested in becoming a mercenary?”_

_...._

 

_“Seems like a lot of work.”_

_“It would be no problem at all. I promise. Just… think on it.”_

-

And she did think on it – quite a lot, actually; she thought about it the moment she stepped onto the stage at work, the moment her boss stiffed her pay, the moment a handsome john stepped into her apartment, and when an extremely unattractive customer took his place. This motion of going to the club, losing money she deserved to make, and then taking johns was starting to wear her out. She needed an escape.

She needed to meet with Embo again.

The only issue was that they never exchanged frequencies; he just showed up and left as he pleased, almost like one of her johns. She tried to chalk this up to a lack for forethought, but she had doubts; maybe he just… didn’t trust her. She tried not to overthink it too much.

As the weeks passed, she started to lose hope of ever seeing him again; she started looking into adult ed, though she quickly grew embarrassed by the idea and shelved that thought. She looked into other work, and found nothing within the scopes of her abilities – even a mechanic’s position required at least a high-school education, and she was miles from that. So, she resigned herself to her fate. She could support herself stripping… that’s all that mattered. It wasn’t a bad way to make a living. She could do it for a few more years… she hoped.

One night, her luck changed. It was dominatrix night, where all the girls got to dress up in leather outfits and would venture out into the crowd with whips and crops and strike the audience at their discretion. The crowd was a bit thinner than usual, but that was to be expected on a night like this.

She spent most of the night, prowling the crowd, striking customers on their bottoms as she passed; it was one of the risks (or perks) of coming in on a night like this. The bouncer outside was literally turning people away who weren’t into it. 

“I love this night!” Rein giggled as Sugi walked toward her. “Oooo girl, look at your strut! You’re a natural.”

“Thanks, love.” Sugi winked as she tapped her crop against her thigh-high leather boots. Rein swallowed hard.

“You gotta chill, girl. You might turn me gay if you aren’t careful.”

“That’s my goal.” Sugi smirked as she passed Rein; the Twi’lek whistled, which riled the crowd. Sugi turned toward the mass of men, and bowed, soaking up the applause. Something about their cries of adoration caressed her ego in all the right ways.

She smirked to herself as she made her way to the bar, stopping only to caress some patron’s cheeks with her crop; the bartender, a Zeltron twink named Ethos, smirked as she sat down. 

“You girls are lookin’ fierce today. You got a pep in your step I haven’t seen in a while.” He poured her out a glass of whiskey; technically, she wasn’t supposed to drink on the job, but her boss was too busy jacking off over his money to even care.

“It helps when you get to beat those that have wronged you.” She smirked as she sucked back the glass of whiskey.

“You dancin’ tonight?” 

“Nah. It’s Rein and Lita’s turn.” She chuckled as she turned to watch the crowd; the lights were dimmed to prepare for the performance, but even then, she could see some girls giving lapdances while some of their customers jacked off in the open. Something about this scene filled her with warmth… or, maybe, it was the whiskey talking.

“Watch out, love. Looks like you’ve got some interest.” Her friend smirked and Sugi turned to spy a familiar face sauntering toward her. She was torn between rolling her eyes and screaming in delight as Embo slid up onto the stool beside her. 

“What are you doing here?” She peered at him over the rim of her glass.

“What do you think I am doing here?” He hummed as he ordered an electric blue cocktail; Sugi scoffed as she turned toward him.

“So you’ve finally come for me. Took you long enough.”

“I am sorry… I got involved with a gig. I wanted to connect with you long before this.” He sounded sincere, but Sugi wasn’t going to let him off the hook. She gestured for him to stand, which he did reluctantly; without warning, she struck him with her crop. He let out a squeak and rubbed his backside while she and the surrounding patrons chuckled. “Hey!”

“You got past the bouncer, you know the rules.” Was all she said as she ordered another drink. Ethos smirked at this as he poured her another glass of whiskey.

“Someone is feeling bold.” He grumbled as he sat back down, sipping at his drink.

“That’s what you get for leaving me. Besides, you like it.” She rolled her eyes as she stood. “I’m off in thirty. We’ll talk then.”

She turned to leave, feeling a bit victorious.

-

He met her by the bar exactly thirty minutes later; she was simultaneously impressed and also concerned by how fast he could move through the crowd. He was rubbing his bum and blushing, looking to have been the favorite target of a few of the girls. It was well deserved. 

She gestured for him to follow her as she made her way back to the changing room; the moment they were inside, she started to undress out of the sweaty leather garb, tossing the costume aside so she could search for some disinfectant spray. His gaze followed her, though she couldn’t tell if it was because he was confused by her actions, or if it was because she was stark naked. Either way, she didn’t much care.

She laid the corset out and covered it with the spray, before hanging it out to dry; there was nothing worse than an uncleaned leather corset, reeking of weeks-old sweat and various other bodily substances. Once she was finished with the hygiene part, she turned toward him.

“So.” She snapped the crop in the air, causing him to flinch a bit. “Talk to me.”

“Ahhhh…. Can you put that down first?” She nodded as she did so; she wanted to strike him again, but something about his stance told her that it would be better off to leave him alone. “And… uh… maybe put some clothes on.”

“Does nudity bother you?” She cocked her head to the side at this.

“N-not at all… but it is generally customary to discuss business… entirely clothed.” 

“Well, maybe in your business it is.” She didn’t fight him though. She made her way to her locker to pull out her street clothes - a soft, light blue sweater and a pair of leggings. She hurriedly dressed, before sitting down on a nearby stool.

“Could we… maybe head back to your place?”

“Why?” 

“It is more comfortable than this place.” He offered.

“My place is a mess. Why don’t we go back to your place for once?” It wasn’t a lie, technically; her bathroom was bloody from her last kill and while he knew of her hobbies, she wasn’t exactly keen on bringing him back to that.

Embo thought for a moment, his eyes flicking back and forth as if mentally debating the pros and cons. “Alright. But you cannot tell anyone where I live. Okay?”

She just nodded as she gathered her things and followed him out of the club; he was silent, as per usual, with his hands clasped behind his back and his hat tilted downward a bit. Sugi couldn’t keep up with him, as was to be expected, and trailed a bit behind; this didn’t bother her much, but she was a bit confused that Mister ‘Watches Her Every Move’ wasn’t paying even an inch of attention to her. She wouldn’t have been surprised if he had forgotten that she was following him…

He lifted his head as if to speak to her, before turning and realizing that she wasn’t beside him. With that, he stopped and peered over his shoulder, watching her with those intense gold eyes.

“Apologies.” Was all he said when she had reached his side. 

“Someone’s lost inside their thoughts.”

He didn’t reply to this, though he did make an effort to shorten his gait and slow his walk; though he fought hard to show it, she could tell that it was uncomfortable and awkward for him. 

“You could always carry me if you’re in such a hurry.”

“That will not be necessary.” 

With that, their walk dissolved back into silence; he led her to a speeder parked in a parking garage nearby and helped her into it.

“Should you be driving?” She hummed as he climbed into the driver’s seat. He scoffed. 

“I am fine.”

“That’s what they all say. You aren’t going to get me killed, are you?”

“Never.” He sped out of the parking garage and onto the street, going faster than what was probably legal. Sugi said nothing about this, instead watching as the buildings passed  and reveling in the sensation of the wind in her hair. 

They drove for what felt like a half hour, before he pulled the speeder off to the side of the street, and parked it. The building he parked outside of was nice, for the Underworld; though architecturally it looked like many other apartment buildings in the area, it was well-maintained. Judging by the lack of garbage strewn about, the even stairs, and the general lack of graffiti, some important scum lived her. Like her Embo.

She climbed out of the speeder and started toward the door, passing a heavily armed Nuatolan woman on the way; the woman paid her no regard, but nodded to Embo.

“You’re back early.”

“I did not know you were my keeper, Ave.” He huffed at this as he started toward Sugi; the woman made a gesture that was likely rude on her home planet. Embo just shook his head as he climbed the stairs to input a code; the door unlocked, and he allowed her to step through before following after her. “That was my next door neighbor. She is a bodyguard.”

“Do you usually talk to your neighbors like that?”

“No, only Ave. Because she is annoying and she needs to know that.” He shrugged, and Sugi cocked a brow. 

“You think that between the two of you, she’s the annoying one?”

“Hey! You do not even know her!”

“I just have a hunch.” Sugi beamed, feigning innocence; Embo just rolled his eyes at this, but didn’t argue with her. “So… why go to a skeezy old club like mine when there must be cleaner, higher quality clubs closer?” 

“Because your club has my favorite girl.” 

“And… uh… who is that?” She followed him into the turbolift. The corners of his eyes crinkled up.

“Rein.”

“Ah, man, fuck you.” She playfully smacked his arm. “We both know you come for me and for me alone.”

“You do not know that.”

“I do! If not, I wouldn’t be here right now. Rein would be here. And I don’t see her blue ass anywhere.” Sugi crossed her arms over her chest, waiting for him to refute her. He didn’t. He just shook his head as the lift took them up to the top floor.

He led her out of the lift and started down the hall - miraculously, the apartments seemed to be soundproof as she couldn’t hear any screaming at all. And, they hadn’t passed any drug deals or people dragging suspicious person-shaped packages down the hall. So this was what heaven was like… 

He stopped at a door with the number 597, and nonchalantly tapped in his lock code. With a small hiss, the door slid open, and he extended his arm in a sweeping motion. She smiled and nodded in thanks, before entering the surprisingly large apartment.

The first thing she noticed was the smell - unlike her apartment, which smelled as though several people were buried beneath the floorboards, his apartment smelled…. Clean. Well, not antiseptic clean, but like unmusty, not-rotting flowers; she could detect the smallest hint of tabac, but she wasn’t sure if it was even from his apartment or something wafting through the vents.

The walls to his place were white - and actually white, like it had been freshly painted and regularly clean; hanging from the pristine walls were paintings and tapestries from another world - which, she could only presume, was his homeworld. She was immediately drawn to a painting that hung near the door, ignoring the way Embo chuckled.

“You like it?”

The painting was of a large, stone temple in the midst of a luscious green jungle. There was a cracked statue in front of the temple, covered in vines and moss, while the temple itself seemed to be in the midst of being consumed by the jungle. The craftsmanship was incredible; if she had to guess, it probably took a few days to finish.

“Yeah. Is this your homeworld?”

“Yes. It’s of an abandoned temple near my village - no one knows why it was abandoned, but many people claim that it’s now haunted.” He explained from his spot near the door; he drew closer, observing it from over her shoulder. “Took me weeks to perfect this picture.”

“You painted this?”

“Does that surprise you?” 

She turned to face him, noting that he had removed his breathing mask; it was also then that she realized that she had an inkling of a headache.

“A bit, yes.” She admitted as she made her way toward his couch; he just chuckled as he sat next to her and dug around in his bandoleer.

“I do not paint much anymore. I do not have the time. But I sketch often, to keep my skills sharp.” He produced two cigs, and offered her one; Sugi took it with only a hint of reluctance. 

“This can’t be good for you…”

“Who cares?” He perched the cig between his lips and lit it. “I do not.”

Sugi didn’t argue as she followed suit; she used to be a pretty bad chainsmoker, but had gotten to the point where she only really smoked socially. She inhaled the familiar tasting smoke with a smile, before turning to him.

“So… you want me to join you. What exactly does that mean for me?”

“Well, I would train you to become a mercenary - it will be simple, since the hardest part is learning to kill and be alright with it. And since you do what you do… we do not have to worry about that part.” He hummed, before taking a long drag of his cig. “Then, you must join the Bounty Hunters’ Guild so we can officially work together. That is basically it.”

“Sounds easy enough.” She nodded.

“The one thing we do have to discuss is living arrangements. It is doable if you want to live apart… but it will be simpler if we reside together.”

“I thought you’d never ask. I want out of that hellhole.” Sugi laughed as she turned to look over the back of the couch. “Alright, pretty boy, where’s my room?”

“About that… this is a one-bedroom apartment.”

“Oh, that’s no problem. We’ll… figure it out, I’m sure.”

“Are you sure this arrangement is agreeable?”

“Yes!! I get out of stripping and out of my shitty apartment! It’s everything I’ve ever wanted! So what if this is only a one bedroom… I’m in. One-hundred percent.”

“Perfect.”


	8. You're the Bane of my Existence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEYO BACK AT IT AGAIN WITH THE SELF-INDULGENT MASTERPIECE I SPEND TOO MUCH TIME ON. 
> 
> I'm glad to see the story picking up a bit of traction, and thank you to everyone who's left Kudos. You're all shining stars. I am a college student so I can't work on this as much as I would like to, but I'm glad I can still get chapters out. 
> 
> Want to share fic ideas? Scream about bounty hunters? Head on over to tumblr (@kyuzan-queen) and leave me an ask or direct message me. Kisses!!

They spent the next day packing up her stuff; she would leave her furniture behind, as Embo was adamant about making sure his home was in harmony - adding her mismatched furniture pieces would only ‘ruin the balance’. Honestly though, she was sure he just didn't want to touch The Chair. 

“Do you know how many people I’ve fucked in this chair?” She tried to convince him as she ran her hands over the greasy material. She fought the urge to gag. 

“I do not want to think about it. That is why we are getting rid of it.” 

She didn’t blame him. 

Luckily, beyond the furniture, she didn’t own too much, so they had packed her stuff and moved it to his place in an afternoon; Embo did most of the heavy lifting, allowing her to drag her boxes from his living room to the singular bedroom.

The bedroom was nice - like the rest of the apartment, the walls were white and the floors were faux wood. Against the wall opposite the door was a neatly-made queen size bed covered in a rich red and gold comforter. Beside the bed were two nightstands - resting atop one of the stands was a datapad, an ashtray, a comm. charger, and a pair of reading glasses. The other had nothing.

On the same side of the room as the cluttered nightstand was a dresser, and next to that was a door that led to what she could only assume was a small closet. Sugi shook her head as she hefted the box up onto the bed and started pulling out its contents - mostly clothes with some various smaller items.

“Just… try to find room where you can. I will get you your own dresser in a bit.” Embo hummed as he set a few more boxes down near the bedroom door. She nodded in response as she pulled open the closet to survey how much room he had available; then, she pulled open his dresser drawers. “Just… stay out of my nightstand. You can have the empty one.”

“Got some dirty little secrets, huh?”

“Not any dirtier than yours.” He winked as he departed to grab the rest of her boxes. She went about hanging her dresses up next to his…. Interesting assortment of clothes. Most of his closet was filled with armor and copies of his fighting skirt, though he owned what looked like a Kyuzo suit as well as a regular tux. And… something that looked vaguely like lingerie. She tried not to think too deeply about why he would have that. 

She painstakingly hung her dresses and blouses in the closet beside his clothes. Shoes went in the closet as well, tucked neatly under the dresses, while the rest of her clothes were stuffed into his dresser.

She took what was left and brought it over to her nightstand; she pulled the drawers open, surprised to find that they weren’t as empty as she figured they would be. In the top drawer was a tube of lipstick and a note; the bottom drawer contained two pairs of binders. 

She set her finds on the bed, before putting her own make-up and various other tiny nicknacks inside. 

Embo appeared moments later with the last two boxes; he set them down on the bed with a grunt and, with a grand gesture, opened one up.

“Goddess alive, why do you own this much porn?” He upended the box as dozens of holodiscs of porn spilled out. 

“I’m a horny bitch!” She replied as she pulled the holodisks toward her. “I don’t know why this is such a shock to you.”

“It is not.” He shook his head as he sat on the other side of the bed and pawed through the pile. Sugi allowed it, only because she didn’t want him going through the last box… “What will you do with them? You cannot keep them where company might see them.”

“I’ll choose the best ones and stuff them in the side table.” She shrugged as she went about sorting the erotic movies; if they didn’t give her amazing orgasms, then they went off to the side. “You can have some if you want some.”

“Your type does not seem to be the same as mine.” He hummed as he lazily scanned over the titles. “Girl on girl is not my thing.”

“I’ve got dudes too.” She rolled her eyes as she handed him a few; he shook his head.

“Are you not into Zabraks or humans?”

“I don’t tend to be attracted to people who look like me.” She answered plainly, not paying attention to him; some part of her thought that it would be a bit weird to meet his gaze when discussing pornography.

“But you are into alien men.”

“You say that as if it’s a bad thing. Don’t tell me that you’re against interspecies relationships.” 

“Quite the contrary. I am just… intrigued by your rejection of societal norms. And, perhaps, borderline fetishization.” He set two disks aside, before sweeping the rest of the rejects back into the box.

“Fetishization? Are you accusing me of something?” She snapped defensively, before taking a minute to think. Would she be defensive if it wasn’t true? She bit her lip.

“Of course not.” A small hiss escaped his mask, almost as if he wanted to continue to speak, but nothing came out. She figured he didn’t want to offend her with whatever it was that he was about to say. But honestly… maybe it would have been better if he had offended her. 

They sat in silence for a while as Sugi packed away her adult films and slipped the last box under the bed. His statement weighed heavily on her mind, as she obsessed over all of her past actions and whether or not they were fetishistic or not. She nearly tuned him out when he mumbled.

“Sorry about the shit in your nightstand. I swore I cleaned it all out…”

“It’s not a problem. They your girlfriend’s?” She asked, once she had shaken the thoughts from her head.

He didn’t answer as he dumped the note and the lipstick in the trash; he slipped the binders into his drawers, before exhaling softly and gathering his thoughts. He checked the chrono on his gauntlet and bit his lip.

“I’m… supposed to meet my boyfriend at a club in an hour. Did you want to come with?” 

Boyfriend? Well… this was news to Sugi; she figured with all the times she had seen him in strip clubs that he was one hundred percent straight. Not that this was an issue, really. She loved a good bi boy. “Are you sure he’ll want me there? I don’t want to intrude.”

“Yeah. He will not care too much. He is not very social but… he is another mercenary. If you can make friends with him, your life will be better.” 

“Oh. Alright.” She made her way to the closet to pick out a sexy clubbing dress, not paying any mind to the sound of fabric rustling behind her. She found a slutty little red number with a deep v and an incredibly short hem, and went about dressing; she hoped to grab the attention of someone that night. She needed a good dicking...

She grabbed a pair of sky-high heels and turned, noting that Embo was… not in armor, which felt incredibly odd for some reason. He wore a beanie, a mesh crop top, distressed jeans, and a pair of black sneakers; the outfit actually looked… pretty amazing on him. Though it helped that his washboard abs were the center of attention.

He turned toward her and froze, almost as if his brain couldn’t compute what he was seeing; slowly, he blinked and rubbed the back of his neck.

“You… you look really nice.”

“Thank you.” Sugi smiled as she pulled her heels on; then, they departed.

-

The club was an interesting mix of trashy and classy that Sugi couldn’t quite describe; it was in a very notorious neighborhood, known for the professional criminals that resided there. Beyond the patrons, though, the club was quite nice; the floors were clean and the place didn’t reek of vomit and piss. She didn’t even have to question whether or not to touch a surface.

Embo led her toward the back, where a Duros man with a wide-brim hat was sitting; he was entertaining a glass of whiskey, swirling it around in the cup almost as if he was bored. He peered up, nonchalantly, before perking - just slightly- at the sight of Embo.

“Hey there, handsome.” He stood to kiss Embo on the cheek before his blood red eyes found her. “Who’s this?” 

“Her name’s Sugi. Sugi, this is Cad.”

“It’s nice to meet you.” Sugi smiled shyly, the weight of not-belonging settling on her chest; Cad looked her up and down, before cocking a browridge.

“Who’re ya trying to impress, doll?” Cad drawled as he grabbed his whiskey once again, knocking it back and sliding the empty cup back onto the table. Sugi sat down, scooting over to allow Embo to sit beside her.

“N-no one.” She swallowed hard, before straightening; she wasn’t going to let this scrawny blue twink scare her. She took a deep breath, before slowly exhaling. “Why? You afraid I’ll take your man?” 

Cad’s eyes widened in shock, before narrowing into slits. “You’re ballsy… I’ll give you that.”

“That’s what she said.” 

Cad looked about ready to flip the table when Embo politely changed the subject.

“So… uh, Cad is a mercenary too. He is one of the best.” Embo leaned closer to Sugi to talk, which earned her a glare from Cad. It took all of her strength not to kiss Embo’s cheek. 

“So what are you? Some… sort of plaything?” Cad growled.

“Oh yeah. Your boyfriend loves playing with me.” 

“That is not true.” Embo was quick to reply, growing increasingly uncomfortable with Cad’s animosity and Sugi’s general lack of a filter. “Please… try to be civil, okay? You will be seeing a lot of each other from now on.”

“So you’re a merc too, huh?”

“I am.” Sugi shrugged as a waitress stopped by to take their drink orders; she ordered a whiskey as well and wasn’t phased when Embo ordered the girliest drink off the menu.

“Don’t expect me to go easy on you just because you’re my boyfriend’s partner.” 

“Oh, I wouldn’t dream of it.” Sugi hummed as she sipped at the whiskey. Cad eyed her suspiciously, before turning toward Embo.

“Can you put a muzzle on her?” Cad inquired, sneering when Sugi whispered ‘kinky’. Embo just rubbed his temples, before again, changing the subject.

“How are things going with Jango?” 

“Oh, you know…” Cad waved his glass around. “Typical Jango. A little distant, a little weird… has been ever since he took that secret gig he can’t tell anyone about.”

“Jango?” Sugi inquired to Embo, who leaned closer to her.

“Cad’s other boyfriend.”

“Other boyfriend? He has two?” Sugi’s brows furrowed. Seemed unfair to have two boyfriends when she had none. Zero. Zilch.

“Polyamory,  _ kamour. _ ”

“I don’t care what fancy word you use. How about you stop being selfish, Cad, and give me one of them extra boyfriends?”

“Not a chance, doll.” Cad drawled as he pulled a cig from his pocket.

Their drinks arrived as Embo and Cad blabbered on about things she really had no interest in; Sugi tried to listen, but soon grew bored and started counting the dots on the seat behind Cad. Deciding to do something more productive -and more likely to forward her to her end goal of getting laid - she swallowed her drink, before poking Embo in the side. 

“Can you let me out? I would like to dance.”

“Oh, yeah! Of course!” He slid out of his seat and allowed her to pass; before she could get too far, he stopped her by gently grabbing her wrist. “Do you need some company? I love dancing…”

“Ah… only if you want to. I wouldn’t want to interrupt your time with your boyfriend.” Sugi hummed, surprised when Embo followed her to the dance floor; almost as if on cue, the music changed to something sultry and sensual. Sugi expected Embo to hightail it, and was surprised when he stuck around. “You aren’t worried that Cad would get jealous?”

“It is just a dance.” He winked as he spun her around; Sugi let out a small gasp as she leaned back against him, feeling his hard abdomen against her bare back. She tried not to moan as his hands slid down to grip her hips. “Cad is not much of a dancer…”

“Why not?” She hummed as they rocked their hips in tandem; she tried to ignore the sensation of his hips undulating into her lower back. And she definitely tried to ignore the fact that she could feel his… business as well.

“He is easily embarrassed.” Embo chuckled as he spun her around to face him; she hoped she looked better than she felt, or else he would know that she was really enjoying grinding into him. “You are good at this.”

Sugi had hardly noticed that she was still moving, her hips and shoulders rocking to the beat. “I was a stripper, remember?”

“Good point.”

“So what’s your excuse?” She winked as he pulled her closer; there was no space between them, which made it nearly impossible for Sugi to breathe. His grip was possessive, in an intensely erotic way; she wondered if he realized this… if he wanted her head to spin and for warmth to pool in her belly.

“My people like to dance.” He purred as one hand slid up her spine to tangle in her hair; he pulled her head back so she could look him in the eye. His eyes were intensely bright - he must have been feeling it too.

“So your people do a lot of bumping and grinding?” She teased, though her words felt a bit choked; she had to break away from him before she got too turned on…

“Sometimes.” He breathed as his hands moved to grasp her cheeks; he brushed his thumbs over her lips, purring when her tongue flicked out to taste them. Luckily, the song ended before anything else could happen; without the lull of the siren song, Sugi was able to break away from him and head back to their table.

Cad’s gaze followed her as she slid into her seat and ordered a second whiskey; Embo slid in beside her, his hand brushing over her thigh. She looked up, and their gazes met; their intimacy was broken by Cad clearing his throat.

“You into girls, Sugi?” Cad hummed, and Sugi’s gaze snapped toward him.

“Why?”

“Well, that chick has been watching you ever since you walked through the door. Maybe you should say hello.” Cad pointed toward the bar, where a young Theelin woman was sitting; she figured he was probably trying to get rid of her so he could be with his boyfriend… but she honestly welcomed the distraction. Without it, she would surely have been begging Embo to bend her over a table or something.

“Okay.” She crawled over Embo this time, noting with a small smile that he was fairly hard; his hands flew up to brush against her hips, as if he instinctually wanted to hold her still against him, before falling to his side. It took all of her strength not to stay seated there.

She flashed her fingerguns, before making her way toward the bar. She slid up onto the stool beside the Theelin woman, and plucked a piece of popcorn from her bowl.

The Theelin smirked as she eyed Sugi up and down, before flagging the bartender down.

“Get this girl a drink… on my tab.” She then turned toward Sugi, cocking a brow amusedly. “The blue dude your wingman?”

“No.” Sugi chuckled as she turned back to look at her partner; he and Cad were close, and she wondered if she would be alone in the apartment that night. “I just met him. I came in with the big guy.”

“Oh, the one you were grinding on? Is he your boyfriend?”

“No… we were just having some fun. He’s a friend.” She managed a small smile as she turned to look at him again; she caught Embo’s gaze, and he winked at her.

“He sure acts like you’re his girl. He was holding you too close for it to be purely platonic.”

“I assure you, it was.” Sugi nodded as she extended her hand. “My name is Sugi.”

“Latts.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> P.S. Want the next chapter sooner? Want fics that aren't rated E or M? Leave a review and let me know. (Reviews greatly help motivate me. I promise you can't be as awkward or as embarrassing as I usually am.)


	9. She's Here and She's Queer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess whose homework is all done for the week?! THIS GAL'S! Which means another chapter for you lovely beans because I love you all. Enjoy!
> 
> Disclaimer: All of these characters are LGBT in one way or another. Don't like it? Too bad! I'm bi, I write what I know. There will be gay characters, there will be bi/pan characters, there will be trans/nonbinary characters. 
> 
> R&R if it suits you. Shoot me a message on tumblr if you care to. (@kyuzan-queen) Okay, buh-bye.

Sugi awoke the next morning with a small headache; not only had she drank a few whiskeys, but her fuck decided to bring some Grade A pixie dust into the mix. She groaned as she rubbed her head, not yet opening her eyes; she knew the moment she opened her eyes, her headache would worsen… so she just laid there for a while, trying to keep from throwing up.

A body twitched against Sugi’s, alerting her to the fact that she was not alone. This wasn’t exactly what Sugi was expecting, but it was a welcome surprise; she rolled over to gently press a kiss to Latts’ neck, reveling in the small moan she received.

“Is it mornin’ already?” Latts muttered, eyes not yet open but decidedly awake; by the way she had been slamming shots, Sugi assumed that Latts’ hangover was ten times worse than her own.

“Unfortunately.” Sugi hummed as she rested her head on Latts’ flat chest. Latts just purred softly at this.

“I gotta get going…”

“This soon?”

“Well… you know how things are. Got places to go, people to see…” She trailed off, her fingers carding through Sugi’s hair. “Work to be done.”

“I get it.” Sugi nodded as she finally sat up, groaning as her stomach protested. “Fuck...I need tylenol.”

“Pass me some when you find it.” Latts muttered as she rolled onto her side. Sugi dug through her side-table, managing to grab the pills and a bottle of water. She popped two of the painkillers and chased them down with a swig of water, before handing both to Latts.

She perked at the sound of the front door opening, and cursed to herself; she didn't expect Embo to be back so early...

“Someone breaking in?” Latts inquired.

“No… it’s my roommate…” Sugi sighed, listening to Embo’s light footsteps as he flitted around the apartment. She couldn’t believe a man of his weight could be so eerily quiet… “Stay in here as long as you need… I’ll…explain what’s going on.”

She pulled on a pair of panties and a large shirt, before making her way out of the room; Embo was nowhere in sight, but the bathroom door was shut and the shower was roaring… so she could guess where he was. She almost marched into the restroom to join him but decided that he might not appreciate it the same way she would.

She groaned as she made her way into the kitchen, perking slightly when she noted a Styrofoam container and a cup of caf sitting at her seat. Inside the container was half of a breakfast wrap and a half-portion of rice. The paper cup had her name written on it with a cute little heart. She beamed, despite her migraine.

She sat down at the bar to eat, watching the hallway and waiting for one of them to appear; she sipped at the stout caf, savoring in the intense, bitter flavor. The wrap was spicy and flavorful, and she had to keep from scarfing it down like an animal; it was one of the best damn breakfasts she had ever had.

“Good morning.”

Sugi’s gaze lifted to lock onto Embo, who was wandering around in tiniest towel ever and nothing else; the smell of his soap wafted in the air as he ran a hand over his head. She tried not to stare at the water droplets that cascaded down his skin, kissing the creases of his muscles.

“Good morning.” She smiled in return as she watched him grab a bottle of water from the fridge; honestly, he was just teasing her at this point. The way his muscles rippled as he bent over and stood back up made her head spin. “How was your night?”

“Oh… I am sure you do not want to know about that.” He smirked as he leaned against the counter with the water bottle in hand. The towel clung to his hips, highlighting his very tempting ‘v’; she tried not to stare, but he was too provocative for her to even think of tearing her eyes away.

“No, no, I do. Thanks for abandoning me, by the way.” She cocked a brow, noting the guilt that flashed across his face; she wondered if any part of him wished it had been her that he slept with last night…

“I did not mean any disrespect. Cad assured me that you wouldn’t mind.”

“I’m just teasing… besides, I had a fairly good night myself.” Which wasn’t a lie; Latts was a sweet girl and she definitely knew how to work her tongue. 

“I am glad to hear that you were not alone.” Embo smiled warmly, though the guilt was still easily readable in his posture. 

He turned as their bedroom door slid open and Latts finally made her appearance. She was dressed in last night’s clothes and looked as though she had been hit by a freighter… but at least she was vertical.

“I’ve gotta run. Thanks for the good night,  _ Vivia.”  _ She pressed a kiss to Sugi’s cheek, as Embo slipped away to dress. Sugi stroked Latts’ cheek fondly, before returning the kiss. 

“It was pretty good.” 

“Let’s keep in touch, okay?” Latts smirked as she made her way toward the door, stopping only to put on her shoes. 

“Definitely.” With that, Latts left. Sugi groaned and buried her head in her hands, bemoaning what a goddamn bisexual mess she was. Why did she have to be attracted to everyone in her life?

“Is everything alright?” Embo inquired as he slipped back into the kitchen, now fully dressed (much to Sugi’s chagrin). Though he did choose to wear a sky blue tank-top, which showed off his arms wonderfully, so she couldn’t complain too much.

“Oh, totally.” She hummed as she picked at the leftovers of the breakfast wrap; Embo watched her, a browridge cocked.

“Is that the truth?”

“I’m hungover, minorly stoned, and sore from a night’s worth of rigorous activities. So, in all technicality, everything is not alright. But emotionally I’m fine.” She shrugged as she rested her chin on her fist. “Are you going to tell me about your night with Cad? Spill all the details.”

“Why?” He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back on the counter.

“We’re friends. Friends talk about their sex lives.” Sugi shrugged. “If you’re comfortable with it, that is.”

“I have nothing to hide.” He shifted as his gaze locked with her neck; he didn’t say anything, but Sugi was certain that he was staring at a hickey. She fought the urge to cover it with her hand. “Cad and I stayed at the bar to make sure you left safely, before making our way back to his place. Cad… has certain kinks I help fulfill whenever we couple, but in the interest of protecting his privacy, I cannot specify what it is.”

“Oooo you’re a tease.” She smirked. “Is grumpy old Cad a whiny bottom? Is that it?”

“I can neither confirm nor deny if that is the truth.” Embo chuckled.

“Okay… well then, answer me this: is Cad gay?” He nodded. “But you are not.”

“No. I do not care about the gender of my partner. Most would call me pansexual, I guess.”

“So,  _ theoretically _ , you would be attracted to someone like me.” The words tumbled from her mouth before she could stop them; her face flushed, and she hoped that he didn’t notice. But, like always, he was watching her like a predatory avian.

“I do find you very attractive.”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“You’re easy on the eyes,  _ kamour _ .” He hummed, mischief twinkling in his golden eyes; she opened her mouth as if to say something, but nothing came out. She instead bit her lip as he drew closer. “Especially when you do that.”

Sugi struggled to find her tongue as he made his way around the counter to stand before her; Sugi swallowed hard as he ran a hand through her hair, and their gazes met.

“And, you are fun-sized.” He teased as he patted her head; Sugi had hoped that he would bend down to kiss her, but as always, things didn’t go the way she had hoped. She fought the urge to roll her eyes as she swatted at him.

“Well, that would make you jumbo-sized, you absolute mountain.”

“I prefer the term ‘king-sized’. Makes me feel regal.” He smirked as he rested his arm on her head; she hoped her horns weren’t too sharp… but even if they were, he’d certainly learn his lesson.

“Honey, you are a lot of things but a king isn’t one of them.”

“Oh? So what am I, if not a king?”

“I think you would be the nobleman that the king is secretly into and would sneak into his bedchambers for a midnight romp.”

“Hmph. Would not be the first time…” Embo hummed as he moved his arm from her head to wrap it around her shoulders.

“I’m sorry, did you just admit that you’ve slept with a king?” He just shrugged, though he gave her a coy smile in response. Sugi rolled her eyes. “You’re going to be the death of me.”

“I certainly hope not.” He chuckled as he led her over toward the couch. “I’d like to keep you around for a while.”

“And how long is a while, exactly?” Sugi smirked as she sat down beside him; she rested a hand on his thigh, smirking when he swallowed hard.

“As long as we can stand it.” He replied cheekily as he toward the caf table; he rummaged around for something, before producing a pad of flimsi and a pen. He handed it to a very confused Sugi.

“What’s this for?”

“I figure we could start your lessons today.”

“Do we have to?” Sugi sighed, already knowing the answer.


	10. The First Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey hey hey beautiful babes I'm back with another chapter because I can and I want to. So here you go! Kisses!
> 
> Warning: this chapter contains brief but graphic scene containing masturbation and musing on violent kink. Plus the dream implies rape and has a graphic description of death so if any of that bothers you, be aware.

They spent most of the day on her first lesson - reading, writing, and reciting the Aurebesh alphabet. Embo was still learning the complexities of the language himself, as Asik was his native written language.They wrote out the Aurebesh alphabet over and over, until she could write the letters on command legibly. They then went to writing their names.  _ Embo. Sugi. Embo. Sugi _ . Over and over again, until her hand cramped. Her handwriting was shaky - akin to that of a kindergartener - but he beamed at her finished work proudly. She fought tears - though she couldn’t tell if they were of embarrassment or accomplishment or a mixture of both.

Embo ended up making them both a lovely dinner of stew served over rice, and popped on a show he apparently loved to watch - it was a show about serial killers, which would have concerned her if she wasn’t one herself. They both watched in interest as they ate, and shared theories between commercial breaks. 

Once the show was over, Embo made them both cocktails and brought her out onto his tiny little balcony. They sipped their cocktails as they peered out at the city scape around them.

“Phatrong does not have cities like this.” He hummed as he swirled his drink around, and cast a glance in her direction. “What about Iridonia? 

“Huh? Oh, no.” She chuckled as she downed her drink. “There are no cities that I know of. I was born in a tribal village.”

“Oh. Do you remember much about it?”

“It’s hot… and dry. My memory of the outside world are a little fuzzy… I spent most of my formative years locked in a palace.”

“Oh?” He turned to face her completely, leaning against the railing. “So… you are a princess.”

“Ha! If only!” She shook her head as she tipped her glass up to get the last dregs of her drink. 

“Care to elaborate?” 

“No.” Was all she said as she set her glass aside; she stared out at the neon lights, the weight of her past pressing against her chest. “God...Where’s a cigarette when you need one?”

He dug around in his pockets for one and offered it to her; she perched it between her lips, before grabbing the lighter he offered. She took a deep drag of the smoke with a sigh.

“Phatrong is wet and hot, mostly.” Embo changed the subject, still sipping at his drink. “Lots of tribal villages, so we have that in common.”

“Slavery?” Another long drag; the nicotine coursed through her veins, awakening that goddamn addiction she had worked so hard to kick.

“No. We as a people believe in distributive wealth - that a community only flourishes when no one is need. All work is hired. No slaves.” He set his empty cup aside and fished for a cigarette as well. “And… well… look at us. We are not exactly profitable.”

“You’re strong - that’s worth something.”

“Strength does not sell like sex does.” He shrugged, and Sugi winced to herself; she hoped he didn’t notice, but knowing him… “What was it like stepping onto Coruscant for the first time?”

He changed the subject again - he must have noticed her discomfort. Sugi bit her lip as she held the cigarette between her fingers. “I don’t remember much. I was fifteen and very pregnant…”

“Pregnant?” He cocked his head to the side as he looked at her. “At fifteen?”

“Mmmmm. My master-.” She stopped herself as she tossed the butt of her cigarette off the edge of the balcony, watching as it fell fifteen floors down. The image of her cruel master smiling down at her filled her head and she tried to keep the contents of her stomach in check.

“Oh. I understand. I apologize for overstepping my bound.” He smoked in silence for a moment, and Sugi shook the violent, intrusive thoughts from her head.

“Dude, that’s got to be bad for you.” She gestured to the cigarette. “Mister ‘Oxygen Mask’.”

“Live fast, die young.” Was all he said in return. 

“Well… I’m going to head in. I’ll see you inside.” She patted his shoulder, before entering the apartment. She aimed to have a good cry in the shower, but her sobs turned to moans as they so frequently did. Something about soul-crushing pain and traumatic memories that really got the motor revving… 

She tried not to think of the implications of this as she sat in the bottom of the tub, with her legs spread open and the water pouring down on her face. The fact that she was abused at such a young age really messed with her perception of kink and arousal and sex… the fact that after everything that happened to her, pain turned her on… was entirely disturbing. But perhaps… it was the way her body helped her survive…

She sank down lower as her fantasies ran rampant; large hands wrapped around her throat, choking the life out of her. Glowing eyes stared back, crazed with lust - though she couldn’t tell if it was lust for her blood or her body. Deep, even thrusts rocked her body as she clawed the hands, teetering on the edge of unconsciousness…

The bathroom door opened, though she hardly noticed; she was to involved in her head - in the fantasy that dominated her thoughts. Her pointer and middle finger of her right hand plunged deep inside her, while she drew circles around her clit with her left hand. 

“Oh my god!” She cried out, a breathy whine to her voice as she rocked her hips into her fingers. She was in utter euphoria, high on arousal, legs shaking with her impending orgasm; when she finally climaxed, she let out a loud howl and shuttered her eyes, entering a state of complete, uninterrupted bliss. Then… slowly, she came down from her high and stood to wash, as if nothing had happened. 

When the water ran cold and she was finally clean, she turned the water off and pushed open the shower door; she grasped her towel and first mopped off her face, then her hair, smiling to herself at the successful wank. She wrapped the towel around her body and stepped out of the shower. It was only then that she realized that she had company.

She just about screamed when she noted Embo brushing his teeth at the bathroom sink; he offered her a glance through the mirror but didn’t say anything - probably on account of the toothbrush in his mouth.

“H-how long have you been here?”

“A while.”

“WHY?!”

“Needed to brush my teeth.” He gestured to the toothbrush.

“You could have knocked!!” She cried, a deep blush rising to her cheeks; most of the time, she cared little about being walked in on or people watching her masturbate but he was her business partner! They were barely friends! She died a little on the inside.

“I did not want to disturb you.”

“Ah - bu - what!?” Exasperation filled her as she placed her hands on her hips; how could he be so nonchalant about this invasion of her privacy? Did he even have a concept of privacy? Did he not care? Maybe these were questions she should have found out before moving in with a near complete stranger. “You don’t have another bathroom?”

“No. One bed, one bath. Sorry.” He shrugged as he finished brushing his teeth. Sugi squeezed her eyes shut, before shaking her head.

“Okay… fine. Next time, knock… okay?”

“Got it.” He nodded as he set his toothbrush aside; their gazes met for a moment, before he made a ‘shooing’ gesture. Sugi rolled her eyes and left to stalk toward the one bedroom. 

She dried off, pulled on a pair of red silk pajamas, and turned as he slipped into the room wearing only a pair of boxer briefs; he sat on the edge of the bed, watching to see what she would do. If she was honest, she wasn’t quite sure herself.

“So…” She began, smoothing out her pajamas awkwardly. “I think I should sleep on the couch.”

“If you want.” He hummed as he leaned back against his pillow. “Are you not comfortable with this?”

“I – I...” She fumbled; she had shared many beds with many strange men… why was this any different? Well… he wasn’t going to fuck her, for one. Or… at least, not right away. So why was she nervous? She bit her lip - it was probably just that moment in the bathroom that was putting her on edge. “I’m okay with this. I was worried you might not be.”

“I am okay. I had to share a bed with my brother for a while.”

“That’s… weird…” She laid down next to him, turning slightly; this wasn't so bad... “I mean… it is weird, right?”

“Not to my people. We are much closer to one another than other species – it is rather intimate, though I hesitate to say that as it often brings the wrong… definition to mind. Makes people believe we are perverted when it is not so.”

“So you’re okay with sleeping with a woman you aren’t in a relationship with?”

“Gender is inconsequential. It always is.” He shrugged as he looked down at her; she nodded sagely to herself as she pulled the covers up to her chin. Okay... maybe she could do this.

“Can I ask you a question – a question that may sound a little weird?” He let his mind absorb this question, before offering her a tiny nod; he stiffened, apparently preparing for the worst. “What is your gender?”

He was silent for a while; at first, she was worried that it had offended him somehow, but that was not the case. In fact, he seemed to smile.

“No one has ever asked me that.” He mused as he scratched his chin.

“I just want to make sure that you’re as comfortable as possible. I’ve just considered you a cis dude but I realize that it probably was ignorant of me to assume so.” She rambled, nearly missing his chuckle. “So if you want me to use different pronouns or think of you in a different way…”

“You are fine. No need to explain.” He interrupted, taking a deep breath and crossing his arms over his chest. “Gender is a complicated subject for my people. Our relationship to it is different than many species, which makes it hard for outsiders to understand. I use masculine pronouns mostly because that was how everyone around me referenced me. They saw me as a man, and I ran with it so I could fit in.”

“But you aren’t a man?”

“Not fully. But… as I said before, it is hard to explain.”

“Are you okay with masculine pronouns? Or do you prefer gender neutral?”

“Masculine is fine. I have gotten used to it over time.” He leaned toward her, curious. “And you?”

“Oh. Uh… I’m a woman. She/hers.” She rubbed the back of her neck; he nodded in response as he leaned back. Silence filled the air for a good ten minutes as Sugi struggled to find something else to talk about. Embo had since closed his eyes, but she could tell that he wasn’t yet asleep. “Okay, so answer me this: how can you tell I’m there when you don’t turn to look at me?”

“A number of ways.” He answered, his eyes still closed. “First off, I can hear your footsteps – you are hardly silent. Second, I can sense your vibration – it is unique to you, and I can only sense it when you are close. Third, I can smell you.”

“That’s a little off-putting. Do I smell good at least?”

“You smell unique.”

“That’s just a kind way of saying I stink. What do I need to do differently?” She frowned as she sniffed her armpit; smelled okay to her…

“It is not that. It is… pheromones and other chemicals. Like your vibrations, your pheromone composition is one-of-a-kind. It is strong.”

“Oh. Uh… sorry?”

He just laughed and peeked an eye open. “It is getting late. I think we should sleep.”

“It’s only late if you’re eighty.” She rolled her eyes as she sunk down to curl up under the covers, trying to stay firmly on her side of the bed. She laid there for a good, long while, before sighing and rolling over to face him. He was a statue, barely seeming as though he was breathing; the tiniest  _ woosh _ of air being forced through his mask was the only thing that proved he was still alive. “Hey.”

“Hmmm?”

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For everything. I really needed to get out of my situation but I felt stuck. Meeting you was one of the best things to ever happen to me. I will forever be in your-.”

He silenced her by placing a finger to her lips; she stared down at it cross-eyed, before looking back at him. He had turned toward her, and his eyes glowed with mischief. “You are welcome. Now, shush. Sleepy time.”

She didn’t argue with him this time; she slowly curled up again, this time drifting off to sleep.

-

_ Iridonia… Sugi had such traumatic memories of the desert world. She didn’t know why she ever agreed to come back. The barren wasteland held no potential for her. And yet, here she walked, down the dusty, winding path she and her mother would walk when she was little. The stones scraped her bare feet. The sun scorched her skin. She was wearing only a gauzy blue dress that surely showed all of her assets. _

_ She stumbled upon her village, which was empty; bone windchimes chimed eerily and houses creaked in the wind, sending a chill up her spine. Where was everyone? What was going on? _

_ She was led back to her home by an invisible force, and she shuddered as she stepped through the threshold.  _

_ “Mama?” She called out, compelled toward the back room, where she and her mother used to sleep. She pushed open the door, the hinges creaking out a laugh as she did so; she stepped in, noting a lump in their bed. “Mama?” _

_ She gingerly touched the lump, which was decidedly a body, noting it was cold. She rolled the body over and screamed as her mother’s decaying, maggot-filled visage stared back at her. Her throat had been slit and was nursing an array of flies and larva. Sugi turned to vomit, her vision going black. _

_ She came to a while later, in a cold, stone room; she was strapped down, unable to move. She struggled against her binds, noting they were not steel… but hands. There were so many hands, touching, prying, playing. Every inch of her skin was seared by the touch of ten, twenty, thirty hands. She could hardly tell where one hand ended and another began. They stretched her apart, held her down, took what was theirs. She was helpless beneath them. Helpless to stop them. _

_ Her throat was raw as if she had been screaming, though nothing had come out. Her eyes burned with tears, though she hadn’t been crying. Her lungs screamed for oxygen, though she had been breathing the entire time. Why didn’t she fight them? Why did she just take it? _

_ Why was she so afraid? _

_ She shouldn’t be afraid. _

_ And yet… _

_ Dozens of voices blended together, buzzing like a fly in her head; she was driven to near madness, struggling to drown it all out. The hands turned to smoke, billowing and shaping into one man; his features were fuzzy, but that didn’t matter. Sugi knew who it was. She knew. _

_ “Hey, pretty.” _

_ She screamed loud, violent, her voice running hoarse; she finally regained control of her limbs and lashed out, her fists disrupting the smoke figure. It didn’t matter. His voice remained. _

_ “You can’t kill me. I’ll be here with you, always.” _

_ She continued to flail, fighting the monster, until her arms were pinned to her side; she let out another scream, struggled against whatever invisible force had caged her. _

“Sugi! Sugi, wake up!”

Reality snapped to her in an instance, and she found herself in the bedroom, held back by strong arms; her hearts pounded and she wanted nothing more than to run and hide, but Embo’s grip was unfailing. She couldn’t break out even if she tried. And it wasn’t like he was going to harm her; likely, he was trying to keep her from hurting herself. Smart. It would happen. It had happened.

“You are safe, sweetling. No one will hurt you here.” He reassured; logically, she knew this, but her more animalistic nature screamed that this was a lie. That he could be a threat. That he could as easily take what he wanted from her, just as others had. “They would have to get through me first.”

He saw himself as her protector. It was charming, really.

She slowly slumped, the adrenaline dying down; raw emotion rushed in its place, and she couldn’t stop herself from breaking down sobbing. She balled her fists, reveling in the way her nails pierced the skin of her palm; she wanted nothing more than to slam her fists against her thighs, releasing the nerves and restless, painful energy within her but couldn’t with his hug-like hold on her. It was for the best, but she hated it in that moment.

“I do not know what you were dreaming about, but you are safe here with me. I would never let anyone bring harm to you.” He reiterated, the sincerity and determination in his voice making her sob even louder. She never had anyone care about her like this; for most of her life she had been a whore, a disgusting lowlife to some, disposable to most. To be used and left. Subhuman. Worthless. But… to him, she was a person; her life mattered to him. “Do you want to talk about it?”

She shook her head, and that was enough for him; he didn’t push it, instead rocking her and humming a sweet little tune. Slowly, her cries died to little whimpers and then to silence; exhaustion gripped her, and she fought against falling asleep.

“Let us try to sleep again, sweetling. You need your rest.” He cooed as he gently set her down on her side of the bed; she sniffled at this.

“Can’t.” She croaked, her throat searing from her screaming and subsequent crying. “Don’t want another nightmare.”

“I will be right here for you, okay?” He took a chance and gently stroked her hair; she purred softly at this, and let the peace of sleep wash over her.


	11. The Morning After

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! Sorry for the wait! I've been doing the whole college thing so that's fun. Also, I've been working on a royalty AU. Curious? Let's talk on tumblr!
> 
> Enjoy! Kisses! Or hugs! Or fistbumps. Whatever you prefer

Sugi awoke to the sensation of a body shifting beside her; her eyes fluttered open, and she looked around, trying to gauge what time it was. It was hard to tell in the Underworld, she found; there was no sunlight, and the ever-present shimmering of neon lights contributed to a warped perception of time that above-dwellers and off-worlders never had to deal with. Measuring time was a useless construct used only to try to anchor people to reality, and though she found the idea comforting in a way, she knew that it really didn’t matter. They were all trapped in the parallax of a simultaneous night and day, constantly, forever.

She rubbed her eyes and let out a tiny yawn as she tried to regain her bearings. She was in her bed - no, their bed. The bed she shared with her roommate. Her roommate, the Kyuzan mercenary Embo. Embo… the guy who was currently cuddling with her, his head on her chest, his arms wrapped around her. Oh. Who would have thought? Certainly not she.

She gingerly ran a hand down the back of his neck, feeling his skin beneath her fingertips; it was rough, as most reptilian skin was, but not scaly like a Trandoshan’s skin was. She hummed as she softly traced down his spine to his shoulders.

He twitched, bringing her attention to the leg that parted hers; though his current position didn’t allow for it, she knew that it would feel so goddamn good to grind against. She wondered if he’d like that…

He startled awake, as if being shaken, before looking up at her, his glowing eyes dull with sleep.

“Oh shit… sorry. I did not…” He mumbled, his voice husky; he rubbed his eyes and rolled over, curling up on his side. Sugi waited for him to continue his thought for a good ten minutes, before realizing he had gone back to sleep. She groaned as she swung her legs over the edge of the bed, trying to gather the motivation to walk to the refresher.

She managed to get there after another ten minutes of staring at the wall; she nearly spooked herself in the mirror when she passed it. She looked fucking awful; her undereye circles were especially dark and puffy today. She just groaned again as she made her way to the bath.

She started the bath, as hot as it could get, before just sitting on the bathmat, staring at herself in the full-length mirror attached to the door. When the water was at a decent enough depth, she undressed and slid in, closing her eyes and letting her thoughts carry her away.

A small knock interrupted her thoughts, and she popped an eye open; at least he had learned something. “Come in.”

Embo opened the door, stretching and yawning, revealing his impressive fangs that she hadn’t really noticed until then. They met gazes for a mere second before he turned to brush his teeth; the room was filled with silence as her gaze followed his nearly nude form, taking special note of how his boxers sat low on his hips, revealing that tempting ‘V’ again. She was… anything if not predictable.

“Sorry… about this morning.” He hummed around his toothbrush. “I was not trying to make you uncomfortable. It is just… your nightmare… I wanted you to feel… protected, I guess.”

“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”

“I just wanted to make sure. Unconsenting cuddling can be… uncomfortable…”

“Really, it’s fine. I’ve had worse. Besides, you’re warm.” She chuckled as she drained the tub and stood, drawing his gaze down her dripping form; she cocked a hip, smirking at the attention. “I appreciate the effort to help me sleep.”

“No problem.” He watched as she grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her form; once she was covered, he turned away and resumed his task. God, it felt good to have this sort of attention from him. If only she had the courage to press further…

She shook her head and made her way out to their bedroom to give him some privacy; she lounged on their bed, playing with herself noncommittally until he entered the room once more. 

“When you do end up… dressing… wear something sparring appropriate.”

“Oh?” She stood and made her way to their dresser; she bumped her hip against his as she passed, watching as he shot her a confused glance. “What for?”

“You are a proficient killer.”

“But?” 

“I have doubts about your ability to take someone on hand-to-hand. Especially an opponent larger than you.”

“Most everyone is larger than me, Em. I make it work.” She shook her head as she retrieved her clothes - a soft red tank top that hugged her form and a pair of black shorts - and made her way to her side of the bed. She paid him no mind as she tied up her hair and pulled on her panties, though she was certain he was watching her; it was obvious that he appreciated her form, and he himself had said she was attractive… so… why didn’t he pounce on her? Usually, if someone was attracted to her, they’d immediately bang her - besides sometimes lingering glances, he never showed any indication that he was thinking like that.

She shook the thoughts from her head as she pulled on her tank-top and her shorts, before turning toward him; his very naked back was to her, and she fought the urge to stare and lost. Though she was decent enough not to stare at his round ass (though that was, indeed, tempting), she was consumed with tracing the scars littering his back. He had a pair of crisscrossing scars between his shoulder blades, as well as a large slash mid-back that looked like it could have paralyzed had he been unlucky. A few small scars littered his back here and there… as well as what looked like a bite mark on his hip. Kinky.

She reached out to touch the slash, faltering as he bent over to pull on his boxers; when he stood straight again, her finger accidentally brushed against his spine and he arched his back and let out a noise she could only describe as a squeak. 

“Sorry.”

“What was that for?” He inquired, his back still arched. Either he was ticklish or something about that touch made him highly uncomfortable.

“I was just curious…” 

“Why?” His voice dripped with discomfort and Sugi pulled away. 

“Your scars… just… wanted to know… sorry.” Her face went hot.

“Look, I do not touch your scars so do not touch mine.” He snapped as he turned and grabbed her arm, exposing her old self-harm scars. “How would you feel if I got curious about these and started touching them?”

“Okay, okay I get it.” She growled as she wrenched her arm away. “God, there’s no reason to be a dick.”

“A dick?! Look, just mind your own business, okay?”

He stormed out of the room, leaving Sugi to just growl at him. He was so goddamned bipolar it was crazy. One moment, he was fine, and the next he was all angry and brooding. She didn’t understand why!

Sugi just shook her head as she grabbed her datapad and made her way out to sit at his bar.

She was bombarded by messages from Rein and from Latts - Rein had sent her multiple links that all led to the web address of some blog that showed grainy photographs of her and Embo entering and exiting the apartment building, as well as a shot of them grinding in the club. Sugi groaned as she scrolled down the blog, glancing over theories of who she was and why she was there and what her purpose was; most theories amounted to her being the average run-of-the-mill whore, which Embo apparently indulged in, if this forum was telling any amount of truth. 

Latts’ message was less involved, just basically asking her on a date; Sugi replied immediately with a yes, needing something to distract her from this mess with her roommate.

“Embo?” She hummed as she looked at him, watching as he deliberately ignored her while making their breakfast. “Oh come on… I know you heard me.”

“What?” 

“I’m sorry… for earlier. That was all on me. I didn’t know you were sensitive about the scars…”

He sighed, shaking his head. “That is hardly an apology but I accept.”

“I won’t touch them again or ask about them or even reference them.”

“Noted.” 

“Now that we're speaking again... Can I get an explanation for this?” Embo sighed as he turned around and gestured for whatever it is she wanted. She turned her datapad toward him, and he leaned in to look at the pictures. “What the hell is this? You have paparazzi following you around?”

“No. They’re fans. Just ignore them.”

“So you’re somewhat of a celebrity, eh?” She smirked, trying to lighten the mood a bit. Embo didn’t take the bait, and brooded some more.

“No. They are just fans of my work.”

“I bet they think you’re hot.” She smirked as she leaned forward. “Ever give a lucky girl an autograph?”

“No.” He faltered, before shaking his head. “Once. I signed a strippers tit.”

“A stripper’s… how fucking drunk were you?” She rested her chin on her hand, watching as his brooding slowly dissipated; she was good at working him up and even better at cooling him down. That could come in handy should she ever get the balls to try to seduce him…

“Pretty. Probably high off my ass too.” He hummed as he turned to finish making their breakfast.

“It may seem odd to hear this… but I never really took you as someone who would enjoy the strip club vibe.”

“You also take me as someone who heavily prefers male-identifying persons over female-identifying, so that is understandable.” He plated their food and brought it over to the bar. “I do not generally enjoy the atmosphere of strip clubs, but I do enjoy the disrobing of genders of all kind.”

“So you’re more of a ‘private show’ kind of guy?”

“Only if it ends in...” He pantomimed a sexual act, which drew a laugh from Sugi. “Most find it hard to believe that I enjoy the sins of the flesh.”

“You do paint yourself as a stoic, unwavering soldier and that doesn’t exactly scream ‘I enjoy blowing backs out’.”

“Get a few drinks in me and you will see.” He chuckled as he dug into his breakfast. Sugi just smiled to herself as she started to eat as well; she did know how he got after Black Tar. A part of her wondered if he would have taken her then and there had Rein not interrupted them. Would he be bolder with some drink in him? Maybe she’d have to get him drunk…

No. She would not manipulate her partner into having sex with her - that wouldn’t make her any better than the men she vowed to destroy. 

She mentally chided herself as she ate in silence; she was just a big old hypocrite, wasn’t she? Hated that men used her for sex but thought about using Embo for the same thing. What a fraud. What a disgrace. 

The moment she finished, Embo swept away her plate and brought it over to the sink.

“Thanks?” She managed, just shocked by how fast he moved; this was enough to distract her from her self-hatred for now.

“No problem. Let’s push the couch out of the way.”

She nodded as they made their way to the living room; together, they pushed the couch, holovision, and side tables over toward the door, leaving them enough room to spar. Embo smirked as he dusted his hands off.

“Are you ready?”

Sugi nodded as she ducked into a defensive position, watching as he circled her like an avian; he came to stop at her backside, and gently rearranged her body so her stance was stronger. She gasped softly at the touches, noting how his hands seemed to linger.

“That is much better.” He hummed as he moved away to stand across from her. “I am going to go easy on you.”

On the one hand, she was offended that he was going to go easy on her - did he think she couldn’t handle herself? On the other hand… she was grateful. He was a trained Kyuzan Warrior - some of the most proficient killers in the galaxy - and she was a self-trained former whore from the slums of Iridonia. Her ego said that she could take him, but her common sense was aware that was a fallacy. Still, she wanted to test her luck...

Before he could react, she had knocked him over and was straddling him; his eyes widened as he looked up at the fist mere inches from his face.

“How-?”

“I’m better at this than you think. That’s why you can’t go too easy on me.” She smirked as she tried to ignore how good her legs felt wrapped around him; she bit her lip, and his eyes brightened a bit. “That reading and writing bullshit is annoying. This, though? This is fun.”

“Your learning is just as important.” He chuckled as he flipped her over, pinning her under his much larger body; she did her best to hide her burgeoning arousal from him, though she had a suspicion that he knew. “Remember, try not to get too distracted.”

“Yeah, yeah.” She rolled her eyes as he pulled her back to her feet.

“Alright, come at me again.”

“You sure you can handle this?” She teased as she struck out at him with her left hand; he blocked her easily, a hum of approval sounding from deep in his chest.

“That was a better strike.”

“I’m going to knock you over again.” Sugi giggled as she kicked out at him; he blocked, though he seemed a bit caught off-guard at this. He immediately regained his composure and lowered his stance, much like the boxers she had seen on the holovision.

“I’d like to see you try.”

She swung her left fist, then her right, trying to distract him from her footwork; he blocked both of her strikes, before swinging out at her. She didn’t block him, but it was obvious that he wasn’t aiming to connect with her; with him on the offensive, she found herself stumbling backwards. In an instance, he had pressed her up against the wall, bracing his arm against her chest; she gasped softly at this, and their gazes met. She couldn’t be the only one turned on by this, right? He pressed two fingers to her forehead with a slight smirk.

“Boom. You are dead.”

He let go of her and she took a moment to regain her composure; goddamn that did a number to her… she was sure he could sense her arousal as she wiped the sweat from her brow. 

“Should we go again?”

“No. We are good. I know what we need to work on now.” Embo just smiled as he bumped his hip against hers, as if copying what she had done earlier. Sugi stumbled and tried to grin. “Alright, you are free to do as you wish.”

“Great. I’m going out.”

“Out? Where?”

“First of all, none of your business, really. Secondly… does it matter?” She crossed her arms over her chest; he cocked his head to the side, confused by this.

“No… it does not. I was just curious.”

“I’m going out with Latts.”

“The Theelin girl?” Sugi nodded in response; Embo just smiled as he moved to push the couch back to its original spot. “Great. Have fun.”

“Oh, I intend to.”

 


	12. A Night of Awkward

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! 
> 
> So this chapter has some sexual content and drug use so if that gives you the bad feelings, do not read. Someday I'll write something a little less horny, I promise.
> 
> P.s. If you ever want to know Embo's perspective in a given chapter, let me know and I can whip that right up for you. 
> 
> As always, R&R if that suits you, stick it with a kudo... whatever. Come chat me up @kyuzan-queen on tumblr - doesn't have to be about this story in particular. Can be about anything.
> 
> Anyways, enjoy! Kisses! (or hugs or fistbumps or friendly waves. Whatever suits you.)

Sugi waited in front of Latts’ building for what felt like forever. The woman had been caught off-guard by the sudden proposition of a date, so Sugi got it on the one hand. On the other, Sugi hated waiting in places she was unfamiliar with. She pressed her back against the wall of the building, protecting her vulnerable side; she chewed on her lip, her gaze reading the postures of anyone who passed. And as ten minutes became twenty, and then twenty became thirty, Sugi grew antsy and reached for her vaporizer and took a drag, letting the nicotine steady her nerves.

She peered up when the door opened, smiling when the little Theelin woman stepped out. Her wild hair was pulled into pigtails, and she wore a white croptop under the cutest pair of overalls she had ever seen. An adorable purple blush graced Latts’ cheeks as she came to stand in front of Sugi.

“Hey there.”

“Hey.” Sugi smiled as she tipped Latts’ chin up. “Miss me?”

“I did, actually. None of the other girls I’ve been fucking have been quite as good as you.” She smirked as she stood on her tiptoes to press a kiss to Sugi’s lips. “Please tell me that’s in our plans tonight.”

“It is.” Sugi chuckled against Latts’ lips. “But let’s not rush our night. Hungry?”

“Starving.”

“Good. Let’s eat.” She offered Latts her arm, and Latts looped her arm around it. Their trip was short - a mere ten minutes - and was made in silence; it was a comfortable silence, and Sugi didn’t feel like she had to fill it. It was nice - Latts was nice. Sugi wasn’t used to dating girls so… high-class, which Latts obviously was; she wasn’t flashy about it but Sugi could tell that her outfit -however simple it was - was expensive, and incredibly on trend. 

Sugi immediately realized the restaurant she had chosen was probably pretty low-quality compared to what Latts was used to. It was a small diner - similar to the one she and Embo had gone to months ago - with a homey interior and quaint little booths and comfort food, mostly. They didn’t even sell alcohol - what a travesty...

“How cute.” Latts smiled as she looked around.

“Is this okay? We can go somewhere else if you want. It’s just that… this place is cheap and I kind of took money from my roomie to pay for it so…”

“This is fine.” Latts assured as they were led to a booth by the host. “Does your roommate know you took his money?”

“Oh yeah he does. Dude doesn’t care.” She chuckled, and they ordered drinks - a fizzy drink for Sugi and a water for Latts. They were then given menus to peruse while their drinks were being filled.

“So what are you doing these days?” Latts smiled as she set her menu aside to meet gazes with her date. Sugi shrugged.

“Working up to doing some mercenary work. Not quite there yet, though.”

“Why’s that?”

“Gotta work on my skills and what not before I can go out into the field.” Latts seemed enthralled with this, leaning forward and resting her chin on her hand. 

“Seems dangerous.” She cooed, biting her lip; Sugi puffed up her chest a bit.

“Oh, it is. That’s why I’ve gotta train so much.” Sugi winked as she leaned back, feeling pretty good about herself. “What about you?”

“Hm?”

“What have you been up to?”

“Oh. I just got done doing a show at the Galaxies Opera.” Latts shrugged nonchalantly, as if this were some offhanded comment. Sugi balked.

“Excuse me??? The Galaxies Opera??”

“Yeah. I’m a ballerina. What about it?” She shrugged again, which caused Sugi’s jaw to drop further.

“What are you doing with me, then? You could be rubbing elbows with the galaxy’s elite!” 

“Eh. I’ve seen that, done that. It gets old, trust me.” Latts rested her elbows against the table and cradled her chin in her hands. “Besides, I belong here, not up there.”

“I find that hard to believe.” Sugi shook her head as they ordered their dinner. “Tell me more.”

“About what? Ballet?” Latts snorted at this. “I must maintain a strict weight and train until I can hardly stand and my hooves are cracked. It’s not as glamorous as people are led to believe.”

“Yeah but not everyone gets to perform at the Galaxies Opera, Latts.”

“Perhaps not.” Latts sipped at her water, her gaze lingering on Sugi. Sugi wondered what it was that both Latts and Embo found so interesting about her that they kept staring; she really wasn’t that fascinating, was she? “So what did you do before this foray into mercenary work?”

“I was a stripper and a prostitute.”

Latts swallowed her water hard, throwing her into a coughing fit. “That explains a lot.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Sugi cocked a tattooed brow, watching as a cute blush rose to Latts’ face.

“You have… you do have a certain talent…” Latts fumbled.

“You mean I can fuck good.” 

“I’ve been with my fair share of lovers and very few have topped you.” She smiled sweetly as she leaned forward, playing with her ponytail. “I hope that doesn’t offend you.”

“Please.” Sugi rolled her eyes as they settled into a comfortable silence. Sugi looked over the dessert menu while Latts just stared at her, a small smile on her pretty little lips. “What?”

“I just… think you’re lovely.”

“Oh… uh… thanks.” Sugi blushed at this and looked away; Latts held out her hand, gesturing for Sugi lend her hand. She did as she was asked, blushing even deeper when Latts kissed every knuckle. Latts was going to get pegged so hard that night…

“Should we get dinner to go?”

“Let’s. Your place?” Sugi flagged down the waitress to tell her the change of plans. The waitress just rolled her eyes, and went to tell the kitchen.

“Can’t… there’s a bunch of construction going on and it’s totally not sexy.” Latts tsked as Sugi reached for the bill, and swatted her hand away. Latts instead offered the waitress her credit card, much to Sugi’s chagrin.

“Okay… my place it is.” Sugi prayed to whatever entity existed that Embo wasn’t home or things were about to get real awkward.

-

By the time they reached her apartment door, they were already half-way naked; Latts had discarded her shirt along their walk, the bib of her overalls conveniently covering her nipples, though just barely. Sugi’s panties got lost along the way as well, kicked off and discarded for a pervert to find; her shirt was unbuttoned completely, giving way for a perfect view of her cleavage and her stomach. Apparently this was enough of a draw for Latts that they barely made it into the elevator before their lips locked and their arms wrapped around each other in an unbreakable grasp; one of Sugi’s hands held the small of Latts’ back while the other tangled in her wild orange hair. Both of Latts’ hands were glued to Sugi’s ass, manipulating the flesh with her fingers.

“Nasty girl.” Sugi muttered against Latts’ soft lips. The Theelin just laughed. 

“Exactly how you like it.” 

“Exactly.” Sugi peppered Latts’ jaw and neck with kisses, nipping softly at the flesh along the way. She stopped only when the lift stopped at her floor, instead taking Latts’ hand and leading her down the hall.

Sugi punched the lock code three times before she got it right and they were let in. It was dark - which was a good sign - and generally quiet, save the monotonous drone of the air conditioner and the general ambience of the Underworld. Sugi hardly noticed the boots by the door and the recognizable leather hat on the counter; all she knew was her desire, which had been building since she had sparred with Embo that morning. Fuck… she could use a good cock…

Latts caught her attention by cupping her chin and directing her attention to the couch and the caf table in front of it.

“Let’s do a little Pixie first.” 

Sugi flicked on the lamp in the corner of the room, watching as Latts rummaged around in her pocket for a tiny baggie, before gingerly pouring out the contents and neatening the drug into two lines; Sugi’s mind again wandered to Embo, wondering where he was and what he was doing and if he was thinking of her... 

She shook the thoughts from her head as she watched Latts snort a line and then hurry to undress; she had done this before, that much was evident. But so had Sugi. She quickly snorted her own line of Pixie, before pulling down her skirt and tossing it aside; Latts helped her with her shirt and her bra, lapping at Sugi’s exposed skin.

They wasted no time in getting down to business, not even waiting for the drug to take effect; Latts peppered her with wet, sloppy kisses, licking and sucking and nibbling wherever she could reach. Sugi stroked Latts’ neck, before lifting her chin; Sugi - finally the taller partner, for once in her life - leaned down to press a passionate kiss to Latts’ lips, savoring in the taste of the ballerina. In return, Latts’ hands found Sugi’s breasts.

Voices buzzed in the background, but Sugi merely chalked it up to the Pixie taking affect; the only things she knew were real was Latts and her desire for the Theelin. So she did as her desire dictated - she picked the little woman up and set her down on the couch before burying her face in the woman’s pussy. 

“That good?” She slurred as she looked up, her gaze locking with Latts’ hazy one. Latts nodded at this, rolling her nipples between her thumbs and forefingers.

“Verrrryyyy good.” Latts giggled.

“Good. Wan’ me ta get a strap-on?” 

Latts nodded and Sugi stood, wobbling toward her room; she hardly noticed that the door was closed and that the lights were on. She hardly noticed the grunts and moans from her room… all she knew was that her dildos and strap-ons were in there and she  _ needed _ them. 

She pushed open the door and froze in her place; standing there, with his back to her, was Embo. He was decidedly naked, and his entire body rocked into something - no, someone. Though Sugi couldn’t see their face, she could see blue hands and figured - even in her deluded state - that the receiving party of Embo’s passion was Cad. She knew they were together, and the logical part of her knew they had sex -she and Embo had discussed it before- but it still shocked her to see Embo give so freely. He was not coy and shy with Cad… no, he was commanding, calm and unwavering. There was no nervousness - only strength, virility… passion. 

She stood there, wondering how long she could get away with watching them before she got caught; she bit her lip, wanting nothing more than to stagger in there and join the fun. But her legs were not so cooperative, and she knew Latts was whining for her in the other room. So she watched, and she waited… until Latts came up behind her, wrapping her arms around Sugi’s middle.

“Baby I need you.” She whimpered into Sugi’s ear, and Sugi only nodded; Latts’ deft hands wandered downward further, until they found Sugi’s clit. Sugi moaned softly. “Please…”

“Okay…” Sugi moved one leg, then the other, slowly, carefully,  _ quietly _ making her way into the room. It didn’t cross her mind that no matter how quiet she was, Embo (and likely Cad as well) would still see her. All that mattered was reaching her side of the bed to retrieve her promised strap-on. She dropped to her knees, and crawled toward her bedside, reaching out for the plastic bin underneath. Her fingers barely brushed it when she was finally caught.

Despite Embo facing her, he was not the one to notice. No, it was Cad. He let out a scream that could hardly qualify as manly, and Embo focused on her, like a laser sight finding its target. First, shock crossed his face, then confusion… finally, an incredulous annoyance took root.

“Sugi what the hell!!”

“Strap-on!” Was all she could manage as she reached out for her bin once more; Cad groaned and Embo knelt down to look at her. Sugi’s gaze met with his, and Embo shook his head.

“Goddamnit, she is high…”

“She ain’t the only one.” Cad grumbled as he gestured to Latts, who was standing in the doorway, waiting for her promised strap-on. Embo cursed in his mother-tongue and pulled Sugi up to stand.

“Alright, time to sober up.” He brought her to the bathroom and started a cold shower; Sugi watched him, a bit dumbly, as he went in search of a towel for when she was done. He set it aside, before standing across from her, observing her in all of her glory; she, in turn, observed him, her gaze dipping down, down, down until it rested on the object of her fantasies. It was everything she had ever dreamed of… She bit her bottom lip, which made Embo shiver. “You are certainly bold when you are high.”

“You likey.” She giggled as she took a step closer, grasping his cheeks in her hand; with little warning, she stood on her tip-toes to press a kiss to his lips. It was soft, chaste, without a hint of desire. For a moment, Embo melted against her lips, and their bodies pressed together… only for Embo to pull away. Sugi complained in her mother-tongue. “Why go?”

“You are very high and I am not and that is not a good look,  _ kamour _ .”

She reached for him again, only to have him pick her up and put her down under the spray of icy water; Sugi yelped as she was brought back to reality a bit. She peered out the shower at Embo, who looked downright annoyed and ohmygodwastotallynaked. Sugi balked for a moment, before reaching for him with grabby hands. He didn’t oblige.   
“Are you here with me?”

“Yeah… yeah a bit.” She nodded, wrapping her arms around her bare body; this was not the first time they were naked in front of each other but it was the first time she was allowed a view at his front-side. His chest and abdomen were even more scarred than his back - a few scars she even recognized from when they first met. Specifically, the wound on his shoulder, the gash on his chest, and the hole in his leg - all had scarred, which was to be expected. She wasn’t a professional, after all… and she never claimed to be. But they suited him; in fact, they made him more attractive in her eyes.

“Good. Thanks for ruining my night.” He crossed his arms over his chest.

“Pants… you gonna… wear some?” She inquired as she gestured to him; she was not used to this… free display of his form. It almost felt wrong, like she wasn’t meant to see it; she supposed, in a way, she wasn’t. 

“No. I intend to finish up with Cad once I know you are not going to interrupt us.” 

“Why you here?”

“Why are you here?” He parrotted, exasperated. “You said you were going out.”

“I did! I went! Then came back for fuck.” She frowned, shivering as she again reached for him, desperately wishing to leech warmth from him. “Can I out now?”

“Are you sober enough?”

She nodded, her bottom lip jutting out as he turned the water off and grabbed the towel he had prepared for her. He wrapped the towel around her, surprisingly tender despite the circumstances, and hefted her out of the shower. He carried her to their bedroom and deposited her down on the bed beside Cad. She and Cad met gazes. Cad seemed just as annoyed as Embo was. Sugi frowned. 

Once she regained coordination, she stood and wobbled toward her dresser to find the warmest pajamas she could find. She hurriedly dressed, shivering the entire time.

“You doing okay?” Embo inquired lowly.

“Cold.” Sugi replied and Embo shook his head. 

“I was not talking to you.” He turned to Cad and repeated the question.

“Fucking dandy. Love being forcefully outed to your girlfriend.” Confused, Sugi turned toward Cad, taking stock of his appearance. She didn’t notice anything off at all. Sure a cursory glance of his naked form betrayed he had no cock, like she had originally suspected… but… that wasn’t so out of the ordinary. 

“She is not my - that is not the problem here. I am sorry, Cad. I really am. I had no idea she would be coming back… and I had no idea she would dare to interrupt.”

“Whatever. You owe it to me.” Sugi watched as they kissed, a bit of jealousy coursing through her. Why was Cad getting kissed on but she wasn’t? So what if she was high! She wanted it!

She grumbled to herself as Embo approached with a fluffy blanket; he stood before her, awkwardly shoving the blanket in her direction.

“Here. Figure you are pretty chilled.”

“Where Latts?” Sugi took the blanket and wrapped it around her shoulders like a cape.

“On the couch. Popped on some porn for her.” Cad hummed as he crossed his legs; Sugi just nodded, pausing when Embo pressed a kiss to her forehead. He was so goddamn gentle, his lips barely ghosting over her skin; still, it made her hearts race.

“Have fun.”

“Thanks.” She left the room and made her way toward the couch. Latts was there, watching the porn like a child watched their cartoons. Sugi curled up next to her, cuddling under the blanket; she rested her head against the arm of the couch, feeling her eyes grow heavy. Latts snuggled close to her, seemingly losing interest in their romp in favor of the lesbian porn playing on the screen. Sugi didn’t mind. She was too sleepy now.

She gingerly touched her lips, feeling how they tingled. She had kissed him. She kissed him and he wasn’t disgusted… in fact… he seemed to like it. She smiled to herself as her eyes slid shut, and she drifted off into a blissful, dreamless sleep.

-

She awoke with a blistering headache and no memory of the previous night; she had no memory of the kiss, of her shower, of Cad’s revelation. All she knew was that she was on the couch and that Latts was sleeping, cuddled up beside her. Sugi ran a hand through her hair, feeling her twitch beneath her hand; despite her headache, she smiled. 

She stood up, paying no mind to how Latts flopped over; she stretched, noting the sensation of pajamas hanging from her form. Latts was completely naked, yet Sugi wore pajamas? That made no sense. What happened last night? Why couldn’t Sugi remember?

Her nose tingled and she fought a wave of nausea, both side effects of Pixie use; at least she could remember taking the drug, even if the rest of the night was a giant fuzzy mess. She scratched her nose, trying to aleve the annoying tingling sensation, and made her way toward the bathroom to retrieve some painkillers.

Her eye caught on a hat sitting at the bar, and she frowned. Cad was here? If Cad was here, so was Embo… is that why she and Latts were on the couch? It’s not like the bed is big enough for four to sleep on…

Sugi just shook her head; she was sure she would find out what was going on sooner rather than later. It’s not like Embo kept too many secrets from her.

She continued on her original quest, shuffling down the hallway until she reached the bathroom. The door was shut, and the shower was roaring. Sugi mumbled, annoyed, before knocking, hoping the occupant was her roommate rather than her roommate’s cantankerous boyfriend.

“Come in.” Sugi opened the door and was hit with a blast of steam; she made her way to the medicine cabinet, fumbling around for the tylenol. “Cad?”

“Try again.” Sugi replied; she popped two of the pills, swallowing dry. She braced herself against the counter as the world spun around her for a moment and bile rose in her throat. Maybe it wasn’t such a great idea to do Pixie on an empty stomach. Speaking of which, what happened to the food they were supposed to bring home? 

“Oh. Good morning.” Embo shut the water off and fumbled for a towel to wrap around his waist; Sugi just saluted to him. “I am not mad, by the way.”

“Mad about what?” Sugi cocked a brow.

“Last night…”

“What happened last night?”

“You do not remember?” He went silent for a moment, his mouth moving as if trying to formulate words. He just sighed and patted her shoulder. “You should… uh… probably apologize to Cad.”

“Noted. What did I do to offend him now?”

“Ask him and he will tell you.”

Sugi just snorted as they reached for their toothbrushes and began to brush their teeth. They remained silent for a long time and Embo had this look about him… like he knew something that she didn’t. It bugged her… but she wouldn’t push it. If it was important, he’d tell her...

“What happened to my usually chatty Sugi?” He inquired as he finished up his brushing, staying now only to talk to her. 

“Fucking Pixie happened.” She muttered as she leaned against him, resting her head against his chest; she noted the way his eyes widened in the mirror, and slowly, he wrapped an arm around her waist. She turned to look up at him, managing a smile. “Did you have a good night?”

“Uh… well… mostly.” He nodded at this as he stared at the two of them in the mirror. She wondered if he liked what he saw.

“That’s good. I can’t remember my night.”

“That… really sucks…”

“You’re telling me.” She nodded as she squeezed tighter before letting him go to finish up. Embo watched her for a moment, before shaking his head with a sigh.

“Cad is in the room whenever you are ready to face him.” Embo mentioned as he turned to leave.

“Alright.” She smiled as she finished up her morning routine; she made her way into the room, partially to change and partially to apologize. Cad was lounging on her side of the bed, smoking a cig and absent-mindedly stroking a green dildo that looked suspiciously like hers. She just laughed as she sat on the edge of the bed. “Hey.”

“Whaddya want?”

“To apologize… for something. Embo said you’d tell me.”

“For starters, you decided to interrupt us in the middle of our fuck. Then, you saw something I didn’t want you to see.”

“And… uh… what was that?”

“Nevermind. If you don’t remember, it’s not important.” Cad seemed relieved at this, though this didn’t stop him from fondling her toy.

“Okay. Well… I’m sorry for interrupting you two and for ruining your night. I didn’t do it out of malice, I promise.” Sugi sighed softly, before snatching the toy from him. Cad seemed surprised but didn’t fight it. It did belong to her, after all.

“So you do know how to apologize.”

“Cad…”

“Fine. Apology accepted.” Cad sat up and took a long drag of the cigarette; she managed a smile, feeling bad that she had upset him. Cad was silent for a while, before sighing. “I’m trans…”

“Okay.” 

“I’m sure you have questions.”

“Only one: why tell me? I wouldn’t have known if you hadn’t told me.”

“You would have found out one way or another. It’s just easier if you hear it from me.” Cad drawled as he took a drag of the quickly disappearing cig. In a rare and oddly friendly move, Cad offered the half-cig to her; Sugi took a quick puff, reveling in the taste of tabac and the rush of nicotine.

“Rest assured, this doesn’t change the way I see you.” She handed the cig back to him; for once, she and Cad seemed to be vibing.

“Oh? And how do you see me?”

“Annoying.” 

Cad managed to crack a smile at this; he smothered the cigarette in the ashtray before sitting up. “I hate you.”

“I hate you too.” Sugi chuckled as she moved toward the dresser to pick out some clothes; Cad averted his gaze, which was definitely something Sugi was not used to. Instead, he smoothed out his clothes, picking lint and whatnot off.

Sugi just shook her head as she pulled on her outfit - a simple t-shirt and a pair of shorts- and padded out to the living room. Latts was dressed and sitting at the bar, drawing her finger along the rim of a mug; standing on the other side of the bar was Embo, who was sipping on a cup of tea. They were in the middle of a conversation when Sugi slid up onto the stool beside Latts.

“See, Black Tar never sits well with me. I get sick.” Latts shrugged as she sipped at the caf in front of her; she looked completely awful, prompting Sugi to wonder how much sleep she had gotten. Not much, if Sugi had to wager. 

“I have never done Pixie.” Embo hummed, looking cozy as he cupped his tea.

“Can’t snort without a nose.” Latts chuckled as she gestured her head towards Sugi. “Your girl does Pixie like a champ.”

“I’ve done it a time or two. The girls at the strip club snorted it to make the night go by faster. I snorted it because it tripled my libido, which is helpful for my second job.” Sugi offered Latts quick peck on the cheek as Embo turned to make her a cup of caf. “I did Black Tar recreationally. Habica too, on occasion.”

“Fun fact - Habica is originally from Phatrong. It is our most famous and most profitable export.” Embo chortled as he leaned against the bar across from them. “The Black Tar we did together is a Phatrongi variant as well. It is potent.”

“I could tell.” Sugi smirked as she sipped at her caf - it was straight-up, as black as her soul, she often joked. This was met with eye-rolling from her partner.

“Oh my stars… are you talking about drugs?” Cad frowned as he sauntered down the hallway. “Fucking junkies.”

“So says you, Mr. ‘Deathsticks will be the death of me’.” Embo reached a hand into Cad’s pocket to retrieve said Deathstick. Cad swatted at his hand. 

“Ain’t no need to be telling everyone my business.” He drawled as he snatched the Deathstick back and shoved it into his pocket. “It’s what keeps me going.”

“Exactly. So do not be calling us junkies when you are no better.” Cad just rolled his eyes; Embo grabbed another mug (where he was finding them, Sugi had no idea) and poured Cad a cup of caf as well. “And do not be doing too many drugs. I hear it can mess around with your testosterone.” 

“Who are you, my mother?” Cad snarked.

“I care about you, Cad.” Embo gingerly kissed the man, who seemed surprised that he would do so in front of people. Latts just smiled, and turned to kiss Sugi’s cheek. Sugi exhaled softly, trying to kill the feelings of jealousy rising within her; there was no need to be jealous. No need at all… “I just want you to be safe.”

“Yeah, yeah, sure.” Cad practically chugged his caf, before kissing his lover’s cheek. “I’ve gotta bolt. See you later, handsome.”

“Call me.” Embo smiled as he watched his boyfriend gather his things and leave. Latts looked down at her chrono and cursed. 

“That’s my cue too. Sorry, vivia.” She kissed Sugi’s cheek and left without another word, leaving Sugi and Embo alone together. Embo awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck but didn’t say anything; Sugi chalked this up to the weird night they both had, so said nothing about it. She just drank her caf, her gaze drawn to the pattern of the marble on the bar.

“So… how would you feel about doing your first gig today?”

Sugi sputtered for a moment, trying to figure out how to respond. Was she ready? She didn't feel ready. Still, she couldn't stop herself from faking a smile and flashing him a thumbs up. "Great! Yeah! Let's do it!"

She was doomed.


End file.
